U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Chicago DHL Express Consignment Carrier Facility Gateway Hub recently seized seven shipments of eyeglasses worth more than $1.41 million.
The shipments arrived in early June claiming duty free status as the glasses were manufactured in Israel. However, the shipments were not manifested correctly and the contents were examined. When the parcels were examined the origin markings did not match the manifest. The country of origins included China, Italy, France and the United States. At this point the shipments were seized for fraud and duty voidance due to intentional country of origin marking misrepresentations on their entry documents.
These shipments were in violation of USC 1304 due to fraudulent markings and seized per 1595a(c).
“This seizure is an example of the outstanding work performed by our CBP officers in identifying shipments that are not in compliance with United States laws which is an important part of the CBP’s mission,” said Ralph Piccirilli, Acting Assistant Area Port Director, Chicago. “Our officers will continue to identify and intercept fraudulent shipments from importers trying to avoid paying a tax in order to protect the United States economy.”
CBP routinely conducts inspection operations on arriving and departing international flights and intercepts narcotics, weapons, currency, prohibited agriculture products, counterfeit goods, and other illicit items at our nation’s 328 international ports of entry.