Customs Shop Ensures Security

U.S. Army Spc. Lorena Watanabe retrieves a military member’s bag from a baggage scanner, Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2012. Customs agents use the baggage scanners and physical inspections as a means to detect and prevent unauthorized items from leaving the Transit Center. Watanabe is a 376th Expeditionary Customs Processing Office customs agent from Guam and a native of Palau. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jason Vaught)

Customs shop ensures security

Published June 15, 2012
By By Staff Sgt Matt Benedetti
376th Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- For many service members involved in Operation Enduring Freedom, the Transit Center at Manas is the first and last stop in the area of responsibility. The top priority of the members of the 376thExpeditionary Customs Processing Center is to ensure all personnel baggage is safely processed and shipped to the United States.

Staffed by Army military police, the 376 ECPC plays an integral role in ensuring that all baggage leaving the TCM is inspected for contraband.

"We enforce various regulations to comply with federal regulations including Central Command 600-10, the Transportation Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Zach Wriston, 376 ECPC NCOIC.

Wriston, a Princeton W.Va., manages this system that complies with several United States federal rules to ensure that baggage is processed in a safe and secure manner. He is deployed from Detachment 4, 368 Military Police Company based in Barrigada, Guam.

All baggage leaving the TCM is checked to ensure it contains no drugs or illegal materials. One hundred percent of the personal cargo is electronically screened. Approximately twenty five percent of all bags are also hand inspected. Standards are universally enforced regardless of rank.

The TCM processes approximately 13 million pounds of cargo monthly. The vast majority of cargo is personal equipment and gear for service members transiting to and from areas in Afghanistan.

"Making sure we get Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines home safe and sound is our focus," said Staff Sgt. Francis Castro, also a member of the 368 Military Police Co.