As of today there are some 4000 hits on Mr Razgui and his flutes, ranging from the extreme Left to the extreme Right, around the world, and in French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Chinese as well as in English.
Some of the articles have a profoundly satirical slant, making fun of US Customs for destroying the "dangerous ecological hazard" represented by a set of folk flutes. And, frankly, Customs deserves it. Their excuse is pathetically flimsy ("fresh green bamboo") and very easily shredded even by non-experts.
Just for starters, ney and kawala flutes are generally not made from bamboo - the traditional material is Arundo donax ("Giant reed" and many other names), which doesn't even belong to the same family. It's a member of the Poaceae (grasses/reeds) not the Bambusoidaceae (bamboos).
For another, even unworked flute material would not be fresh or green - it would already be cut and dried. In December, when this incident happened, any of the Poaceae would be dormant and field-dried even if it was "freshly" cut. The chances of it being ready or able to propagate would be nearly nil.
Arundo donax has also been used for centuries in the manufacture of reeds for clarinets, oboes, bassoons, saxophones and even bagpipes. To this day there are few if any satisfactory substitutes.
The entire incident appears to represent a cascade of FAIL starting, perhaps, in Morocco, when Mr Razgui did not, or was not permitted to, carry on his flute case. Ney flutes average two to three feet long, and a case holding a dozen or so may have exceeded the airline's carry-on restrictions. So he packed the flute case in his regular baggage (along with, apparently, some unworked Arundo donax canes he had purchased locally) and checked it.
There were no problems in Madrid, and Mr Razgui and his baggage (including the flutes) took American Airlines Flight 0095 from Madrid to New York, arriving at about 1 PM on Dec. 22.
That's where the second FAIL occurred. American Airlines baggage handlers lost track of the bag containing the flutes and unworked canes, and it did not show up before Mr Razgui had to catch his connecting flight back to Boston. He trusted the airline's promise to deliver the bag when they found it. (He probably won't do that again either.)
The third FAIL occurred either when US Customs located the bag, or when someone with light fingers and no scruples found it first.
Customs' version of the story is that the bag they inspected contained no flutes, just lengths of what they described as "fresh green bamboo" (see above for the triple FAIL on that) and some clothes. So they confiscated and destroyed the "fresh green bamboo" (which was none of the above).
What Mr Razgui received the next day was a bag containing some clothes and, he says, some rags that he had used to wrap the flutes. No flutes. No material for making more flutes. Inquiries produced the information that his "agricultural materials" had been seized and destroyed by Customs, and that he had to contact the US Department of Agriculture. He is still trying to figure out what he could possibly say to them, and whether it could make any difference, since the flutes are gone and there is little to no possibility of his ever getting them back even if it turns out they were stolen rather than destroyed.
Although Mr Razgui is under the impression that Aundo donax grows in only "a few countries", this isn't exactly the case. It has been introduced to the Americas and Australia, and grows quite well - some say too well - in the southern United States. It is not known for carrying insect or fungal pathogens of any sort. It is sold and planted as an "ornamental grass" from about 39 degrees north latitude (Maryland) on south - but some states (e.g. California) classify it as an "invasive nuisance". Others are experimenting with it as a source for biofuel. And some people grow it as a source for, yes, instrument reeds (one of the largest and best-known sources for orchestral-quality cane is an Arundo donax plantation in Argentina).
All in all, Customs' ignorance - if it was ignorance and not mendacity - is inexcusable. Somebody should send them copies of "The Quest for Arundo Donax", including the Teachers' Resource Guide.
There should also be public pressure on the US Department of Transportation to draft and implement those consistent standards for musicians' instruments and air travel that Congress passed into law and the President signed, two years ago now. They have maybe a month left to do it (implementation date was supposed to be February 2014).
As for Mr Razgui's own plight, a public apology and handsome compensation would be highly desirable, but about as likely as his ever seeing his cherished flutes again. He does have a couple of CDs out, which one may hope he receives royalties for.