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Incoming passenger at Detroit Metro Airport had unwelcome medfly amid their fruit

An unwanted pest was found amid quince fruit that an incoming passenger had with them at Detroit Metro Airport. 

Marty C. Rabon, director of field operations for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Detroit, said Wednesday that CBP agriculture specialists found a medfly amid damaged fruit with the passenger from Albania. 

A medfly, he added, "is one of the world's worst fruit pests." 

"That's why it's important to declare EVERYTHING!", Rabon wrote.  

A list of prohibited and restricted items for airline travel into the U.S. can be found on the CBP website. Those prohibited items include fresh or raw chestnuts, due to pest risk, Rabon said in a holiday travel reminder. 

Previous reports of unwelcome agricultural pests intercepted amid imports at DTW include African bushmeat brought by travelers from Togo and Gabon, caper fruit fly larvae amid fresh flowers from Italy, and a tropical beetle species found amid partially dry bark from the Ivory Coast.


The above video originally aired on Aug. 20, 2025.

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