For the past 26 years , musician Boujemaa Razgui , a Canadian citizen based in Boston , has traveled around the world and across the United States with his instruments , 11 neys and two kywalas , in tow . Razgui has a green card and grew up in Marrakesh . Razgui supports himself and his family playing these instruments . Last month , he traveled from Marrakesh , Morocco , to Boston , passing through Madrid and New York , a trip he has made numerous times without incident . When he arrived in New York on December 22 , his suitcase with the instruments and materials he purchased in Morocco to make new instruments was not there . He was told the bag would be in Boston , but when he arrived , he obtained an empty suitcase without his prized instruments inside . He contacted John F. Kennedy International Airport on December 23 to inquire about the missing instruments , and he said a customs employee told him that his instruments were `` destroyed safely '' because they were considered agricultural products . A spokesperson from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Razgui did not claim his bag at JFK . Typically , passengers clear immigration and are subject to customs inspections based on what they declare to have brought into the United States , the Customs spokesperson said . Razgui was not present for the inspection because he did not claim his bag . Customs agriculture specialists at JFK discovered `` fresh bamboo canes approximately three to four feet long inside of unclaimed baggage arriving on a flight from Madrid , Spain on Sunday December 22 , 2013 , '' the Customs spokesperson said in a statement . The spokesperson said agriculture specialists did not find or destroy any instruments , only fresh bamboo . Razgui said he did not understand what happened . At the very least , he told CNN , he wished Customs would have contacted him and asked about his belongings . While he is sad to lose the instruments and the materials , he said he would have forfeited the reeds he purchased in Morocco if it meant keeping his instruments . `` I have three kids , I make a living with this flute , '' he said . `` Now I do n't have them . '' Razgui says Customs destroyed 13 flute-like instruments : 11 neys and two kywalas , a shorter flute . The Customs spokesperson , however , said agriculture specialists neither found nor destroyed any instruments . Razgui 's music career has taken him to Canada , Europe and the United States . He said he has played at Lincoln Center , alongside Cirque de Soleil , and was featured in Shakira and Beyonce 's song `` Beautiful Liar . '' In the past , he said , his instruments have been subject to increased scrutiny by Customs officials , but he has never had his instruments confiscated . `` I do n't know what to do ; I need my materials to make my living , '' he said . The reeds used to make his neys can only be found in Spain , Morocco and the Middle East , he said . Razgui , 55 , has been playing the ney since has was 12 . He said he made all of the instruments himself . While visiting family in Morocco , Razgui traveled to seven cities to find the right materials to bring home to make additional flutes , he said . Now Razgui says his music career is on hold , as he has limited access to additional flutes in the United States . He borrowed some from a professor at Boston College , he said , but their quality does not compare with those he lost . Razgui said he had to cancel a concert at a hotel in Holbrook , Massachusetts , on New Year 's Eve . `` I need something to work with , it does n't make sense to me that they were just cut off , I have a big heart for this , '' he said . `` Right now I do n't have a job ; I do n't know what to do . '' The Customs spokesperson said any passenger who has an issue can file a report online or contact Homeland Security .
Shakira says his 13 flute-like instruments were destroyed at Razgui . Homeland Security officials say they destroyed fresh bamboo but found no instruments . JFK International performs across the U.S. and around the world . He was featured on U.S. and Shakira 's song `` Beautiful Liar ''