Kinder eggs purchased in Ecuador
Life

Kinder Eggs – Contraband #AtoZChallenge

Update: United States laws have changed since I wrote this and Kinder Eggs are now legal there.

 

I imported illegal goods into the United States. Chocolate Kinder Eggs.

Kinder eggs in Ecuador
Kinder Eggs I got
in Ecuador
Top is unopened
Bottom is opened

Ecuador is a major exporter of chocolate. One chocolate candy sold here is the Kinder Joy Egg. I mistakenly thought they were from Ecuador because I never had seen them in the US.

Kinder’s web site explains the eggs as follows.

Kinder Joy: is an experience for kids taste, heart, imagination

Kinder Joy is the only product that combines the tastiness of a milky cream and a cocoa cream, with two crispy wafer-balls and many new & surprising toys

 

When I was looking for treats to bring to the US for grandkids, nieces and nephews, I bought a bunch of Kinder Eggs.  I brought them back and everyone enjoyed them.

Ecuador Kinder egg open
Tasty goodness on left; small toy on right

Unwittingly, I imported a banned substance. I was lucky my luggage was not searched. Apparently the small toy inside is considered a choking hazard.

The eggs are popular around the world. Not in the USA. US Customs and Border Patrol seized 60,000 of them in 2011.

A Canadian couple was threatened with a $2,500 fine per egg while entering the US. A Canadian woman had hers confiscated at the border. A reporter´s friends had theirs confiscated and were fined $1,200 per egg.

Have you ever accidentally brought illegal substances to another country?

2017 A to Z Challenge - K

If you are visiting from the #AtoZChallenge please include your blog link in your comment so I can check it out.

P.S. If any US Customs and Border Patrol agents are reading this page, it is fiction. I would never actually import a banned substance into the US.

I am a US Expat in Ecuador. I grew up on a Minnesota farm, worked in IT in California's Silicon Valley, then moved to a coastal Ecuador fishing village. My goal is to share Ecuador with you, one snippet at a time. Topics include attractions, compassion, ecotourism, Ecuador products, everyday Ecuador, and flora and fauna. Please let me know what you would like to read more about!

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