Strange Items Confiscated at Kennedy Airport, New York

These images are from a set of 1,075 photographs of items detained or seized from passengers or express mail entering the United States from abroad at the New York airport. These photographs were taken at both the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Site and the U.S. Postal Service International Mail Facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, by American photographer Taryn Simon for her book and exhibition ‘‘Contraband’’.

The items ranged from banal bags of nuts to a falcon corpse from Indonesia, Fake Louis Vuitton handbags, steroids from Pakistan and counterfeit boxes of Viagra from China. Some items turn up again and again: sexual stimulants, counterfeit luxury goods and drugs. (See Unclaimed Baggage Center: A Retail Store of Lost Luggage)

Says Ms. Simon,

I think it’s a depressing reflection of what everyone is chasing — all these forms of escape that create quite a flat representation of human desire in all corners of the world.

Taryn Simon has meticulously cataloged every item alphabetically for the 500-page book, “Contraband,”. Below is an excerpt of 45 images taken from her website.

Sala, lard, Ukraine (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

US currencies

Gold dust, India (undeclared)

Exotic fruits, Africa (prohibited)

Watches, Patek Philippe, China (counterfeit)

Fake drugs, South Africa (prohibited)

Handbag, Louis Vuitton (disguised) (counterfeit)

Deer penis, Asian origin (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

Guinea pigs, Ecuador (CUI) (prohibited)

DVDs, Lost, Season 4 (pirated)

Unidentified white powder

Chicken feet (Avian Influenza/Newcastle Disease) (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

Insect larvae and pupae of butterflies, India (prohibited.)

Leather cases with ornaments (undeclared)

Steroids, Testosterone & Sustanon, Pakistan (illegal)

Smoking Accessories (prohibited)

Unidentified mammal, Indonesia (prohibited)

Natural chewing gum made from raw sugar cane. Jamaica (prohibited)

Unknown liquid (prohibited)

Oxalis tuberosa, Peru (7CFR) (prohibited)

Stalks of millet. India. (prohibited)

Bird corpse, labeled as home décor, Indonesia to Miami, Florida (prohibited)

Cow hoof bottle, European origin (BSE, Foot and Mouth Disease) (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

Cigarettes, eight cartons, Marlboro (passenger declined to pay tax) (abandoned)

Cuban cigars, Juan Lopez, Hoyo De Monterrey (Foreign Assets Control) (prohibited)

Cow dung toothpaste, India (BSE, Foot and Mouth Disease) (9CFR.94.6) (prohibited)

Deer antlers (9CFR.94, CITES/ESA) (prohibited)

USA American Visagra, Viagra, China (counterfeit)

Perfume and cologne (counterfeit)

Gemstones, Sri Lanka (held, pending appraisal)

Heroin, from India to NY (illegal)

Hydrocodone, India (illegal)

Ketamine, India (illegal)

Dry khat, Catha edulis, Kenya (illegal)

Nesting dolls with Disney characters, Snow White (counterfeit)

Peppers, Capsicum spp., Ghana (prohibited)

Blue and yellow pharmaceutical pills awaiting testing, Pakistan (prohibited)

Unmarked pills, China (prohibited)

Percussion pistol, Enfield 1858, Afghanistan (unlicensed)

South African Cycad with soil (7CFR319.37/7CFR 330.400 & CITES/ESA) (prohibited)

Horse sausage, Eastern European origin (natural casings) (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

Plastic pitcher of salami, Eastern Europe (9CFR.94) (prohibited)

Sexual enhancement drugs, Artillery King, China (prohibited)

Unidentified liquid, hidden in thermos in satin bedding

GBL, Poland (used as date rape drug) (illegal)