DETROIT (AP) — A botched border crossing 17 months ago has turned into an unexpected boon for the University of Michigan's Paleontology Department.

Inspectors with U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a pair of Canadian citizens at the Ambassador Bridge looking to cross into Detroit on March 28, 2011. The pair claimed to be on their way to a trade show in Illinois where they planned to exhibit the 1,100 fossils.

Border officials discovered the fossils were actually going to be sold in the U.S. — something the Canadians had not disclosed — and seized the fossils.

Authorities say the owners failed to pay fines to reclaim the property.

As result, the fossils are headed to join the collection at the University of Michigan's Paleontology Department.