How do I know? They won’t make eye contact. Their knuckles are white on their roller bag. When I ask, "Did you buy anything abroad?" they answer too quickly: "Nothing. No. Nothing at all."
Let me take you behind the screen.
On the frontline, "nothing" is often a red flag. customs frontline
Last week, a grandmother came through. Sweetest person you’d ever meet. Her suitcase x-ray showed a dense, organic block. My heart sank. But when we opened the bag, it wasn't drugs. It was 40 pounds of homemade sausage—pork, unrefrigerated, wrapped in banana leaves. How do I know
We are the last line before the street, and the first line for the nation. customs frontline