Lawsuit over liquor seized in South Texas

Comments 0 | Recommend 0

November 20, 2009 8:18 AM

The Associated Press

McALLEN — Some liquor is in limbo in South Texas.

A federal judge will decide the fate of tens of thousands of bottles of booze seized in 2007.

Prosecutors recently filed a lawsuit in McAllen to try to gain ownership of nearly 2,000 boxes of liquor confiscated at the Progreso International Bridge.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Felix Garza says exporters must comply with certain procedures to be able to transport merchandise legally.

The lawsuit says the owner applied import and export stickers that had been previously used. The suit also says the bottles originally had English labels, but those were covered with Spanish ones.

The owner would have to pay more than $56,000 to get the booze back.

KGBT-TV reports the exporter is unable to come up with the cash.

Prosecutors declined comment.

See archived 'Latest News' stories »

Reader Comments

From the editor: Many of you have expressed concerns about some of the harsh anonymous comments from readers. To remedy that, we are introducing new features. You can create your own blog, publish your news and share your photos with the community. Once you fill out a simple form and leave a verifiable e-mail address, you can set up your profile page. It will display all of your contributions and allow you to track issues and easily connect with others.

We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.

Oldest First | Newest First