Customs Agents Seize Rat Meat From Africa At O'Hare Airport

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Customs agents seized 32 pounds of rat meat from Africa, carried by a passenger from the Ivory Coast.

Steve Bansbach, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the passenger claimed he was carrying meat, which required an immediate inspection.

Inspectors determined it was rat meat and it has been destroyed.

While rat meat is consumed as food in some countries, officials here say the meat can introduce disease into the U.S. agricultural system.

Bansbach said the man had not been fined. The meat was seized on June 26.

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• O'Hare International Airport