STERLING, VA.—U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations at Washington Dulles International Airport was busy around the Memorial Day weekend arresting two fugitives and processing some interesting seizures.
On Friday Martina Pavlickova, 32, of Alexandria, Va. arrived on a flight from Dublin, Ireland. CBP officers determined Pavlickova to be the subject of a Virginia Beach Police Department warrant for Failure to Appear on two Driving Under the Influence charges. The officers verified the validity of the warrant and confirmed extradition. Pavlickova was arrested by CBP and turned over to Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority police for extradition.
CBP placed an immigration detainer on Pavlickova, who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, which ensures that she is returned to CBP upon the adjudication of any charges.
On Sunday Yared Zemichael Taddesse, 29, of Rockville, Md. arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. CBP officers determined Taddesse to be the subject of a Prince George's County Sheriff's Department arrest warrant for larceny. The officers verified the validity of the warrant and confirmed extradition. Taddesse was arrested by CBP and turned over to Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority police for extradition.
"CBP is committed to facilitating legitimate travel, however we stand ever vigilant in identifying those travelers and that our laws identify as needing further scrutiny," said Christopher Hess CBP port director for the Port of Washington.
On Monday a U.S. citizen arrived on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany. During a secondary inspection CBP officers discovered a rug the passenger had purchased during his trip to Iran. CBP seized the rug due to U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions against Iran and provided the passenger information on OFAC.
Read more information on Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The Privacy Act prohibits the release of the subject's name because he was not criminally charged.
Another U.S. citizen arrived on a flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Monday and in his luggage CBP officers found 10.4 ounces of khat (pronounced COT). The traveler was issued a $5,000 zero tolerance penalty mitigated to $500 in lieu of criminal charges.
Khat is a green, leafy plant typically grown in the Arabian Peninsula. Its principal components, cathine and cathinone, are considered controlled substances in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies khat as a schedule 1 narcotic - the most restrictive category used by the DEA - when the leaves are freshly picked. It is chewed for its stimulant effect and retains its potency for up to 48 hours after being harvested. The World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse in 1980.
"Khat remains an illegal substance in the United States and as such, Customs and Border Protection officers remain vigilant to intercept khat and other illicit and dangerous drugs at our nation's borders," said Hess. "Narcotics interdiction remains a CBP enforcement priority."
The Privacy Act prohibits the release of the subject's name because he was not criminally charged.
CBP conducts inspection operations and intercepts currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture products or other illicit items, and on average makes 54 criminal arrests a day at U. S. ports of entry nationwide.
Read more about CBP's border security mission.