At customs, you may be in trouble if the beagle sits down

“Recently my wife and I returned from vacation carrying some Spanish (very good stuff, mind you) chorizo, only to have it confiscated at LAX by customs,” Cypress resident Bob Kreger wrote to the Travel section. “Are there ways that international travelers can obtain information regarding banned items prior to purchasing them?”

I have good news and bad news for Kreger: There is plenty of guidance on this topic, notably at the Web sites listed below. But making sense of the information is another matter.

The rules are complicated and, especially for food and plant items, ever shifting, dictated by such ephemera as this season’s pest infestations in Country A’s fruit, foot-and-mouth outbreaks among Country B’s cattle and (although officials are loath to admit it) lobbying by various industries.

Even customs staff can be confused. Kreger said the LAX inspector told him chorizo was banned because of concerns about mad-cow disease. Chorizo is pork sausage. Larry Hawkins, a regional spokesman in Sacramento for the U.S. Department of Agriculture service that oversees inspections, says some beef is permitted and some not, and that pork -- partly because pigs are subject to so many diseases -- is always barred.

To muddle matters further, jurisdiction over immigration and customs has, until recently, been split among three federal departments: Justice, Treasury and Agriculture. Since March the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been responsible. The massive task of consolidating the staffs and revising procedures at airports is a work in progress.

If you haven’t traveled abroad in the last couple of years, you may be surprised at changes in customs rules. Here are some key revisions and persistent trouble spots:

* Higher duty-free limits: This is good news for avid shoppers. You can bring back up to $800 worth of goods for personal use from most countries without paying duty, instead of only $400. The limit was raised in November 2002, after many years at the old figure, to account for inflation.

There are exceptions. The cutoff is still $600 for travelers coming from most Caribbean countries and $1,200 from the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam.

* Duty-free shops: Many returning American travelers fail to declare items bought at such shops in the erroneous belief that they aren’t subject to U.S. customs assessments.

The term “duty-free” at these airport outlets means they sell products that were brought into the country where they are being sold without an import tax, or duty. That may, although not always, make them cheaper than products bought at other shops. But it doesn’t exempt them from U.S. duties.

* Food fight: Among the most commonly violated regulations are those involving plants and food. Part of the problem is the complexity of the rules.

I am grateful for this guidance from Janice Mosher, who manages the customer service center at the Customs & Border Protection division of the Department of Homeland Security: “If it’s something you’re going to put in your mouth or plant in the ground, declare it.”

Declaring an item doesn’t mean it will be seized or you’ll be fined. But an inspector will evaluate it, Mosher said. Among food items you can usually bring back are bakery goods, candies, roasted nuts and canned fruits and vegetables. Even some fresh produce, once inspected and depending on the country, may pass through customs.

The restrictions are aimed at protecting American agriculture from pests and diseases.

Wrong advice is dispensed daily on this topic. Kreger, the chorizo fancier, said he quizzed every employee he could find at the Madrid duty-free area, and no one told him he couldn’t bring the sausage back. As a result, he bought it, declared it and lost $30 worth of food.

* Stiffer fines: If you fail to tell inspectors about a food item or plant that should be declared, you can be fined up to $1,000. The old fines were $50 to $250.

Although the federal law increasing the fines took effect in June 2000, it was implemented gradually, and it was only in September 2002 that the USDA announced the new rates. “Frankly, $50 or $100 is not a deterrent to a lot of people,” said Hawkins, of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Inspectors have wide discretion. For instance, you probably won’t be fined if you forget to declare something on your customs form and later declare it orally to the inspector. But if you prevaricate -- and, for instance, conceal that banned kielbasa in your sock -- you may get socked with a stiff fine.

Inspectors use X-rays and beagles to sniff out contraband, among other tactics; officials are cagey about the exact processes.

Many people, of course, bring in banned items without being caught. Mosher likens the declare-or-not-declare decision to a speeding ticket: You may get to your destination faster if you violate the speed limit, but not if police catch you. Or as she puts it, referring to the dogs’ signal when they find forbidden items: “If the beagle sits down, you’re in trouble.”

The easiest way to keep the beagle on its feet and yourself out of trouble is to review customs rules posted on government Internet sites. With the gift-laden holidays coming soon, this is a good time to take a look at two useful links:

* www.cbp.gov. Go to “quicklinks” and select “Know Before You Go!-Online Brochure” for general guidelines and “Travel Alerts and Restricted/Prohibited Goods” for updates. This site is maintained by the new Customs & Border Protection agency of the Department of Homeland Security.

* www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/usdatips.html. This site is maintained by the USDA Animal and Plant Heath Inspection Service. It has more detailed information on prohibited foods than the customs Web site.

Jane Engle welcomes comments and suggestions but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail jane.engle@latimes.com.