see also: in CBP News Releases:   CBP Snuffs Out Shipments of Pot Pipes in Montana   CBP Recognizes Employees at Annual Awards Ceremony   CBP Tries ‘European Vacation’ to Protect American Agriculture   CBP Officers in El Paso Note Increase in Juvenile Drug Smuggling Cases during March   New York CBP Advises Travelers to Prepare for Busy Weekend   New York CBP Officers Arrest Citizen of France for Misuse of Passport/False Statements   CBP Advises Temporary Construction at Roma Port of Entry in Starr County to Begin March 16 ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers   CBP Agriculture Specialist - Now Hiring! on the web:   USDA

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Baltimore – A Customs and Border Protection plant seed interception was confirmed on Monday as the Baltimore area’s first recorded discovery of cogon grass weed seed, aka Red Baron grass seed, and just as the legendary Red Baron was a menace to allied fighters during World War I, Red Baron grass has become a despised invasive weed throughout parts of the United States.

During a routine inspection on Friday at the Baltimore seaport, CBP agriculture specialists discovered weed seeds littered among non-compliant wood packing in a container of travertine tile that arrived from Turkey. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture pest identifier database determined the seeds to be Imperata cylindrica, or cogon grass, a Federal Noxious Weed, and confirmed that this is Baltimore’s first Red Baron seed report.

	CBP agriculture specialists discovered these "first in Baltimore" cogon grass weed seeds, aka Red Baron grass, on March 6, in a container of travertine tiles from Turkey.

According to the USDA, cogon grass is an invasive weed from Asia that spreads quickly and disrupts ecosystems, reduces wildlife habitat and can decrease tree seedling growth and establishment. Cogon grass is considered one of the 10 worst invasive plant species in the world and is listed as a federal noxious weed. Cogon grass is believed to have invaded more than one million acres in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas.

“This interception is a significant find for our agriculture specialists, and it further illustrates our continued commitment to protect America’s agriculture industry and our economy from invasive insect pests and plants,” said James Swanson, CBP port director for the Port of Baltimore. “Invasive species pose dire consequences on our nation’s economy, potentially more so than even a single terrorist act could have.”

CBP issued an Emergency Action Notification to the importer to immediately re-export the container.

Around the time Germany’s renowned fighter ace terrorized allied fighter planes during the early 20th century, the Red Baron grass was accidentally introduced in Louisiana. During the 1930’s, Florida officials experimented with cogon grass to help stem tidal erosion, but it wasn’t long before authorities discovered that the native Southeastern Asia cogon grass formed dense patches that smothered out native flora. Eradication efforts continue to this day.

Discovering insect and plant pest firsts is nothing new for Baltimore agriculture specialists.

On Dec. 15, 2008, CBP Baltimore agriculture specialists claimed the distinction of intercepting a first-in-nation insect pest and a first-in-Baltimore insect pest when they discovered an Aulacobaris coerulescens (weevil) and a Paromius seed bug, respectively, in a container of Italian ceramic tiles. Both pests were described as quarantine significant pests that had the potential to cause extensive economic damage to the nation’s plant and horticultural industries.

The Baltimore Field Office covers seaports and airports in Southern New Jersey, most of Pennsylvania, and in Delaware, Maryland and Northern Virginia. The Port of Baltimore is one of several ports within the Baltimore Field Office.

The Baltimore Field Office employs roughly 750 officers, technicians and specialists, including as many as 70 agriculture specialists.

CBP agricultural specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agriculture inspection. On a typical day, they inspect tens of thousands of international air passengers, and air and sea cargoes nationally being imported to the United States and seize 4,125 prohibited meat, plant materials or animal products, including 435 insect pests.

As the Allies formulated strategies to halt the Red Baron’s terror over European skies nearly a century ago, so too have our nation’s present day agriculture experts devised strategies to suppress the Red Baron grass.

“The very best strategy to suppressing Red Baron grass or any other weed or insect pest threats to American agriculture is stop these threats at our nation’s ports of entry,” said Swanson. “CBP agriculture specialists are the nation’s front line protectors of American agriculture and they take their responsibility very seriously.”

To learn more about CBP agriculture specialists, please visit the CBP Careers Web site. ( CBP Agriculture Specialist - Now Hiring! )

For more information on cogon grass, also known as Red Baron grass and Japanese bloodgrass, please visit the USDA’s Web site. ( USDA )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.