Six people were indicted in federal court Friday for operating a smuggling ring that illegally imported cigarettes from Vietnam, said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The 18-count indictment alleges the six defendants conspired between July 2010 and May 2012 to fraudulently import, receive, possess, conceal, buy and sell contraband cigarettes from Vietnam, said ICE, and the charges carry possible maximum penalties varying from 5 to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine (per count charged), three years of supervised release, and special assessment fees.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's web site as of June 6 along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://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.)
The State Department issued a proposed rule to revise U.S. Munitions List Category X (personal protective equipment and shelters) to describe more precisely the materials warranting control on the USML. At the same time, the Bureau of Industry and Security is proposing the creation of five new 600 series ECCNs to control personal protective equipment, shelters, and related items the President determines no longer warrant control under Category X of the USML. The State Department is also not proposing any tiering at this time, and is still developing its definition of "Specially Designed."
The International Trade Administration found AD cash deposit rates of zero for 25 companies, and found reduced AD rates for 7 companies (one company’s rate is unchanged1), in the final results of its section 129 recalculations of the antidumping cash deposit rates currently in effect for companies whose merchandise is subject to 8 AD duty orders on certain products originating from the European Union and Japan, pursuant to instructions from the U.S. Trade Representative. The recalculations were done in order to implement the WTO’s findings in three zeroing disputes. The ITA made no change between its preliminary section 129 results and these final results. These AD rates will not be in effect until the ITA receives an implementation letter from USTR.
The World Customs Organization (WCO) posted the following notices from June 6, 2012:
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the June 6 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
Apple filed a section 337 patent complaint on personal data and mobile communications devices and related software June 4, according to the International Trade Commission. The proposed respondents are:
The International Trade Administration published notices in the June 6 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, the scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The International Trade Administration issued an affirmative preliminary determination that small diameter graphite electrodes processed and exported from the U.K. to the U.S. by UK Carbon and Graphite Co., Ltd. is circumventing the antidumping duty order on small diameter graphite electrodes from China (A-570-929). The ITA will instruct CBP to suspend liquidation and to require an AD cash deposit on unliquidated entries of subject merchandise produced and/or exported by UK Carbon and Graphite entered beginning March 18, 2011.
The International Trade Administration issued the preliminary results of its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on citric acid and some citrate salts from China (A-570-937) for one company, finding an AD rate of zero for RZBC (RZBC Co., Ltd. / RZBC Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd. / RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd.). These preliminary results are not in effect. The ITA may modify them in the final results of this review and change the estimated AD cash deposit rate for this company.