WASHINGTON: There’s been a surge of seizures at the Port of Tacoma of merchandise that violate U.S. trade laws. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said he recent uptick is because of a nationwide emphasis on trade enforcement. Over the last week, CPB said it has seized an ocean cargo container full of LCD televisions from China. The 2,100 TV’s have a total retail price of $360,000. Officers also seized four 40-feet long containers full of ceiling fans that were improperly marked with a safety label that didn’t apply to the fans.
In February, 120 pieces of furniture with a retail value of $720,000 were found to be in violation of trademark laws. A shipment of 950 microphones and cables with a value of more than $25,000 was seized because the merchandise was labeled as being Made & Manufactured in the U.S.A., but the boxes they came in said Made in China. “We have seen a surge in seizures,” said Jim Sullivan, Assistant Area Port Director for the CBP. “Some of the merchandise has markings that is in violation of the intellectual property rights.”
Officers seized a shipment of 950 automotive headlamps valued at nearly $80,000. The headlamps were found to be in violation of standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “Part of our job is finding that needle in the haystack so to speak,” said Sullivan “It’s merchandise that is going to pose a risk to the American consumer.” Press materials said the CPB inspects over 67,000 shipping containers a day, but Sullivan admits it’s nearly impossible to inspect every container coming off a ship. Sullivan says most of the containers are legitimate and involve known companies that operate legally.
