Sites are selected after extensive trade analysis. Countries are categorized based on risk for non-compliance with trade laws and policies.
Those countries that are identified as high-risk go to the top of the list for verification activities, but selection of individual manufacturers is also a result of the application of stringent targeting techniques. Verifications are ongoing and visits to additional locations are being planned.
CBP has initiated a special operation to address the misdescription of merchandise. Over the course of the last four months CBP has seized more than $10 million in misdescribed goods and identified a scheme to circumvent the China safeguards by misdescribing cotton merchandise as ramie which has a much lower rate of duty.
In November and December 2005, over 2,000 additional examinations were conducted to identify smuggling and misdescription of merchandise. In addition to the seizures made, CBP import specialists identified significant Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violations.
During fiscal year 2005, textile and wearing apparel reviews conducted by Regulatory Audit recommended recoveries of over $4, 974,000. In addition, discoveries of violations have been found in textile imports of the Caribbean Basin Trade Preference Agreement, the Singapore Free Trade Agreement, and classification errors resulting in more than $900,000 in recovered revenues.
CBP import specialists at the ports ofentry are receiving extensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) training to target possible violation of FTA requirements in shipments entering US trade.
Yet another resource used to identify misdescribed merchandise are the CBP Laboratories.
Laboratory analysis can establish the make-up of any textile product through chemical and fiber analysis. "CBP has an arsenal of tools to ensure compliance with laws and regulations governing imports," said Janet Labuda, Director, Textile Enforcement and Operations Division.
CBP will continue to use a multi-faceted, but complimentary approach consisting of trade pattern analysis, on-site verifications, review of production records, audits, and laboratory analysis to enforce our trade laws and to ensure that appropriate revenue is collected.
Customs and Border Protection
marketing@alchempro.com
