On Jan. 17 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule clarifying application of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements to combinations comprised of drugs, devices, and/or biological products. Depending on the form of combination, CGMP requirements will: (1) apply to each constituent part separately; or (2) satisfy CGMP or quality system regulation requirements for another constituent part if applied to one constituent part. The final rule is effective July 21.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes Jan. 16 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service revised export requirements and plant lists for the following countries for Jan. 11-17:
The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for Jan. 18:
The Census Bureau sent out AES Broadcast #2013005 as part of a series of monthly educational broadcast messages on fatal errors in the Automated Export System. This month Census is highlighting AES error codes 004 (Filer / Transmitter Not Authorized To Send) and 666 (ECCN Must Be From Approved List). The broadcast covers the reasons for these error messages and how to resolve them, as follows:
C.H. Robinson appealed the Court of International Trade’s November ruling finding the company liable for over $100,000 in unpaid duties, plus pre- and post-judgment interest, on wearing apparel from China entered for transportation and exportation (T&E) to Mexico but allegedly diverted into U.S. commerce. In the appealed opinion, CIT did not allege C.H. Robinson was party to the diversion scheme, but found that as carrier C.H. Robinson was liable for payment of the duties. C.H. Robinson provided proof of arrival at the port of exportation, but could not prove actual exportation of the merchandise after a CBP investigation indicated the merchandise was missing.
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to 42 months in prison Jan. 17 for violations of the International Emergence Economic Powers Act, said the Department of Justice. Timothy Gormley failed to get Bureau of Industry and Security licenses for controlled items, and falsified documents to make it appear that he had obtained the required authorizations. According to DoJ, Gormley said he was swamped at work and too busy to go through the licensing process.
A Hong Kong man was arrested Jan. 14 at San Francisco International Airport on charges of selling stolen U.S. military equipment and smuggling that equipment and other items into the U.S., said Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Kwok Kuen Leung faces a maximum of 152 years if convicted.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's website Jan. 17, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)