Buffalo port director Joseph Wilson said the Port of Buffalo, comprised of the Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, Whirlpool Bridge and Lewiston Bridge, processed over 5.8 million vehicles, over one million commercial trucks and 16 million passengers.

As a result of the strong Canadian dollar, 2008 proved to be a busy one for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Buffalo field office, whose enforcement actions also increased throughout fiscal year. Officers arrested 215 fugitives, wanted for crimes including murder, negligent homicide, child molestation, sexual abuse of a child and rape. The apprehensions included the arrest of two individuals wanted by INTERPOL, one for sexual abuse of a minor in Malta and the other for murder in Barbados.

CBP's Buffalo field office reported the following incidents between Oct. 1, 2007 and Sept. 30, 2008:

There were more than 21,800 apprehensions of inadmissible travellers, who can be found inadmissible for several reasons, including overstaying previous visits, using fraudulent documents, intending to immigrate illegally or being convicted of committing crimes involving moral turpitude. More than 160 travellers were intercepted while making a false claim to U.S. citizenship. CBP officers prevented the entry of 25 foreign nationals who were identified as potential threats to national security.

Border officers also arrested 140 people who tried to smuggle contraband into the U.S. They seized 5,000 kg of hydroponic marijuana and nearly 800 kg of ecstasy, with a street value of more than $10.5 million, a 55 per cent increase over last year.

There were ten Intellectual Property Rights seizures involving counterfeit goods valued at $147,000. Agriculture specialists made more than 2,170 pest interceptions, more than double that of 2007.

In December, border police seized four undeclared live pigeons that were found concealed in the liners of two travellers' jackets. In May, they discovered four live Asian arowana fish, commonly known as Asian dragon fish, concealed in a vehicle's spare tire well. The Asian arowana fish are covered under the Endangered Species Act in the U.S. and cannot be possessed within a permit.