Border officers seize 108 illegal Disney pinatas
by Associated Press (June 22nd, 2010 @ 6:03am)

DOUGLAS, Ariz. - It was no fiesta on the Arizona-Mexico border for the driver of a shipment of pinatas that looked like Disney characters.


U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Rob Daniels says officers at the Douglas port of entry stopped a tractor-trailer coming from Mexico for further inspection on Friday.

Officers found the tractor-trailer was loaded with papier-mache items, including 108 pinatas in the likeness of Disney characters on their way to Thornton, Colo.

Officers seized the shipment for violation of intellectual property rights.

Assistant port Director Eli Villareal says the pinatas may seem innocent, but shipments of illegal merchandise on a national scale can undermine the U.S. economy and ``is a vital element in national security.''