


An illicit $19,000 shipment of injectable vaginal tightening gel from Hong Kong was intercepted by federal agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport last week, according to authorities.
The delivery of 2,536 unapproved pre-filled syringes of tightening gel that required users to wear chemical-resistant gloves to handle was discovered on Nov. 20, US Customs and Border Protection said Monday.
The shipment from the Chinese city was destined for a residential Woodbury home in the Gopher State before it was seized by the border protection and the US Food and Drug Administration, the feds said.
The cosmetic gel was wrapped in pink packaging and appeared ready for resale.
Medications that are made in non-regulated foreign companies can appear genuine, but are usually filled with dangerous contaminates and ineffective compounds that can risk the health of consumers, CBP said.
“This dangerous shipment is another example of someone using unregulated gels to prey on unknowing consumers with false promises,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, the director of CBP field operations the Chicago field office.
“Not knowing what you are inserting in your body can be deadly, and consumers believe they are getting a discount, when in fact they are purchasing an inferior product with unapproved ingredients.”
Customs and Border Protection have made other notable seizures at the international airport in recent months.
About 83 pounds of curried and dried beef from South Africa was destroyed after a passenger attempted to bring it into the country this June.
In September, a passenger returning from Kenya tried to bring a small box of giraffe feces through customers in hopes of making a necklace from it.