President Donald Trump says he’s cracking down on fentanyl smugglers at the border—but customs officers are more likely to bust people sneaking in eggs. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows a 36 percent increase in attempted egg smuggling since last October, with San Diego seeing a whopping 158 percent jump in cases. Officers have seized 3,768 poultry-related products, compared to 352 busts of fentanyl. The spike in poultry-related crime—thieves in Pennsylvania stole more than 100,000 eggs worth $40,000 in a night-time raid last month—highlights just how far consumers and suppliers are willing to go to sidestep skyrocketing egg prices, which have cracked record highs due the culling of more than 166 million birds amid the worst avian flu outbreak in a decade. A dozen A-grade large eggs hit $5.90 last month, nearly double last year’s price and the highest price on record. While Trump vowed to bring down food prices on “day one” of his second term, relief is taking a little longer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects egg prices to rise 41 percent this year over last year’s average.
