Federal authorities raided the corporate offices of Lumber Liquidators as part of an apparent investigation into the company's wood imports, Lumber Liquidators said in a Sept. 27 press release. ICE and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) executed a sealed search warrant on Sept. 26 at the company's Toana and Richmond, Va., corporate offices, the company said. The raid was reportedly related to potential Lacey Act violations, though no complaint has been filed.
Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include:
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 9-13 in case they were missed.
CBP's Newark field office outlined the recently revised form requirements under Lacey Act provisions being enforced by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (see 3081926). CBP gave a presentation on the subject at the Sept. 12 quarterly meeting in Newark. The changes, which add to language to Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Form 585 (Permit to Import Timber or Timber Products) and PPQ Form 621 (Protected Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of Importing, Exporting or Re-exporting Terrestrial Plants or Plant Products that are Protected), are meant "to make certain importers understand their obligations under the Lacey Act," the presentation said. The revised language will include information on the requirement to submit a PPQ Form 505 when importing applicable commodities, it said. The agency also offered some best practices when an importer is unsure if a form is needed, including checking with foreign governments and asking APHIS.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 26 - Aug. 30 in case they were missed.
A federal judge on Aug. 23 sentenced a woman from Hogansburg, New York, to 18 months in prison for exporting endangered reptiles to Canada, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York. According to the attorney’s office, Olivia Terrance was part of a conspiracy to smuggle over 18,000 endangered and threatened reptiles, including turtles, alligators, iguanas, and chameleons, across the border into Canada in 2009 and 2010. The animals were worth “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Miami-based customs broker pleaded guilty Aug. 23 to Lacey Act violations, after it acted as broker on an entry of caviar but didn’t file the required declaration, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Data Freight Corporation admitted it didn’t file Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-177 for 468 grams of Siberian sturgeon caviar that was imported in 2011 and 2012, even though it knew or should have that the declaration was required.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is updating language on two permits to clarify Lacey Act declaration requirements for plant and timber importers. The agency is adding permit condition language to PPQ Form 585 (Permit to Import Timber or Timber Products) and PPQ Form 621 (Protected Plant Permit to Engage in the Business of Importing, Exporting or Re-exporting Terrestrial Plants or Plant Products that are Protected). The forms will now include information about the requirement to submit a Lacey Act Plant and Plant Product Declaration (PPQ Form 505) when importing applicable commodities into the U.S., APHIS said. A list of commodities that currently require a Lacey Act declaration is (here).
An online submission tool for Lacey Act declarations is on its way in late 2013, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The Lacey Act Web Governance System (LAWGS) will allow submission of Lacey Act Plant and Product Declarations (PPQ Form 505) electronically online, without needing to mail in a paper declaration, the agency said. The tool will also save commonly used declaration data in templates for “quick and easy future submissions,” said APHIS.
Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include: