CBP seizes 6,000 pairs of false eyelashes

DHS seizes 11 million counterfeit N95 masks bound for frontline workers

Federal agents have seized roughly 10 million fake N95 masks in recent weeks.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Three thousand pairs of false eyelashes have been seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents after officials determined they were illegally imported from China to New Orleans.

The four boxes of long lashes seized Tuesday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were destined for a local beauty supply store, agency spokesperson Matthew Dyman said in a statement.

They hadn’t been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration and weren’t labeled with the distributor's name or the manufacturer’s name, he said.

This photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows boxes of long lashes seized Tuesday, July 6, 2021.

That means there’s no way to tell whether the eyelashes had been exposed to disease during manufacturing or whether they were stored properly and kept away from insect-infested areas, Dyman told The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate.

"There’s no telling what’s on these eyelashes," he said.

This photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows boxes of long lashes seized Tuesday, July 6, 2021. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection.)

False eyelashes can be made of synthetics and are attached using adhesive, and unregulated or dangerous materials could lead to allergic reactions, eye irritation or worse, Dyman said.

No business or individual has been cited, the newspaper reported.

Unlabeled, non-FDA-approved false lashes are often seized in New Orleans but officials said this shipment was "particularly large," WVUE-TV reported.