New Zealand Customs Service’s Post

🚨 Urgent Alert: Surge in Ketamine Imports into Australia 🚨 Recent joint efforts by the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force have revealed a concerning trend: a significant increase in ketamine imports reaching Australian shores. In 2023, authorities seized a shocking 882kg of ketamine, more than doubling the amount confiscated in the previous year. These seizures highlight the escalating efforts of transnational serious organized crime syndicates to traffic this dangerous sedative into our country. From hiding ketamine in commercial vans aboard cargo ships to concealing it within buckets of liquid micro cement, criminals are resorting to increasingly sophisticated methods to evade detection. The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) are on high alert, working tirelessly to combat this surge in ketamine imports. Multiple arrests have been made, with individuals facing charges related to attempting to possess or import commercial quantities of border-controlled drugs. Acting Commander Kristy Scott of the AFP has emphasized the grave dangers associated with ketamine, including its highly addictive nature and severe health consequences. She reaffirmed the commitment of law enforcement agencies to safeguard communities from the harms inflicted by illicit drug imports. Assistant Commissioner James Watson of the ABF echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the agency's dedication to intercepting harmful substances at the border and collaborating with law enforcement partners to combat organized crime. Despite the recent rise in ketamine importations, AFP intelligence indicates that the ketamine market remains smaller compared to other illicit drug markets, such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Let's stand together against the threat of illicit drugs and support the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies to protect our communities. #DrugTrafficking #BorderSecurity #lawenforcement https://lnkd.in/eQmaW2ZY

📣 German Luxury Car Dealership Raided Over Alleged Sanctions Violations in Exports to Russia 📅 On June 6, 2024, German customs investigators and the Bochum public prosecutor's office conducted raids against suspected illegal luxury car exports to Russia. Managers of a Bochum car dealership are accused of selling over €5 million ($5.44 million) worth of luxury vehicles to Russia, violating export sanctions. ✅ Authorities believe the dealers falsely reported the cars as exported to other countries, when they were actually sent to Russia. The investigation involved searches and evidence seizure at two locations. Original source 👉: https://lnkd.in/gYHpaZeh #Germanysanctions #sanctionsupdate #sanctionscompliance #SanctionsViolation #Russiasanctions #ExportEmbargo

#Estonia will introduce full customs control on its eastern border at #Narva, #Koidula and #Luhamaa from August 8 to prevent sanctions evasion, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said on Thursday. Michal said Estonia must do everything possible to prevent the transportation of sanctioned goods through Estonia and to strengthen security. "Attempts at sanctions evasion and the transport of banned goods across our borders are, unfortunately, ongoing, as is the brutal war Russia has launched against the Ukrainian state and people. By implementing full controls on goods, we can make it more difficult for Russia to evade sanctions and supply its war machine," the prime minister said at the government's weekly press conference. Both local governments and transport and bus companies have been informed about the changes, he added. Moving from the current risk-based checks to full customs control will take more time and the number of border crossings to Russia are expected to decrease. For a passenger crossing the border on foot, full customs control means checking every person and their luggage. If the passenger crosses the border by car, the means of transport and the goods inside will also be checked. Bus passengers will be asked to get off the bus with their luggage and go through the same customs check as pedestrians. Cargo checks will also involve checking the vehicle. Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) said a heavy flow of sanctioned goods has started over the past few years. "Third countries are declared as destinations, but we do not believe it. And life shows that the goods do not get there, but stop somewhere in Russia halfway to Asia," he said. On July 4, the government discussed enhancing customs control at the border. https://lnkd.in/ekZEVYFK

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced a guilty plea in a criminal case alleging a conspiracy to avoid paying antidumping and countervailing duties on porcelain tiles made in China. The defendants transshipped the tiles through Malaysia, and then imported them into the U.S. claiming Malaysia as the country of origin. Although CBP's press release does not indicate how the conspiracy was discovered, these types of duty evasion cases often come to the attention of CBP from whistleblowers who bring qui tam cases under the False Claims Act, or who file e-allegations or EAPA claims with CBP. Although criminal charges like this one are not common, transshipment schemes to evade duties and tariffs are quite common and often go undetected until someone blows the whistle. #customsfraud #quitam #FalseClaimsAct https://lnkd.in/e99ehA6D

Recent signals from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demonstrate the agency’s efforts to continue refining its suite of enforcement tools. Interested parties should be aware of CBP’s strategies and approaches to respond to suspected noncompliance. Textiles is one of the seven Priority Trade Issues for CBP. A recent summary of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP’s strategy to combat illicit textile trade points to in-person visits by CBP/DHS personnel to “high-risk” foreign facilities to verify their qualifications for advantageous duty treatment under USMCA. As part of the strategy, the agency is also scrutinizing illicit shipments below the de minimis threshold (i.e., with a fair retail value in the country of shipment of not more than $800) using expanded targeting, laboratory and isotopic testing, and focused enforcement operations. The CBP also announced its creation of a dedicated Forced Labor Case Management System (CMS) to streamline UFLPA procedures (not only limited to textiles). Read the full article on our website for more information. Authors: James R., Martin Schaefermeier, Gillian Rice

U.S. authorities have begun seizing illegal parcel shipments of the popular weight-loss drug Ozempic at ports of entry as smugglers take advantage of programs that expedite duty-free entry of small-dollar imports. In this way, Ozempic joins a soaring number of illegal medications entering the United States through e-commerce sales channels. Customs and Border Protection officers have confiscated 11 Ozempic-related shipments this year since February at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The shipments were destined for New York, Massachusetts and Texas, had a combined value of $887,000. These seizures represent the first time CBP inspectors in the central United States have seen contraband Ozempic, People are trying to buy Ozempic and related drugs at a lower cost from sources outside the country: thousands of counterfeit Ozempic pens were delivered in 2023 to a warehouse in New York and fake Ozempic is being shipped through the U.S. Postal Service’s international mail facility at JFK airport. One shipment detected by CBP contained 10,000 units of counterfeit Ozempic, 60% of it originating in China. The FDA is concerned that the counterfeit, misbranded or unapproved products may not contain the same active ingredient as the approved versions for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, meaning a serious threat to public health.

Meet Angel Villagrana, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Customs Trade Officer who seizes shipments of fake sports merchandise to stop criminals from funding their crimes. Learn more about #OperationTeamPlayer and how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is helping prevent dangerous and harmful goods from entering the commerce stream.   Visit: https://lnkd.in/gnUEFeBr   #DHS #TrueFansKeepItReal

⚡ Customs Enforcement Seized Illegal Products Worth 8 Billion TL - As a result of the successful operations carried out by the Customs Enforcement units of the Ministry of Commerce in the first 2024 months of 3, compared to the same period of the previous year

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection delays change to trade platform that would automatically reject de minimis shipments once a person exceeds the exemption’s $800 per day threshold. #supplychain #trade #customs https://lnkd.in/ea5s8pib

“GUEST OPINION Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller: Get serious about #fentanyl Closing a U.S. trade loophole could save Nebraska lives in the fentanyl fight. This month the Lincoln Police Department announced it would begin recording the amount of illicit fentanyl seized in the city. That’s not a moment too soon. Accidental overdoses increased 13.7% in Lincoln from 2022–23. That deadly rise is almost entirely due to illicit fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. from China via cartels, cargo ships, and by circumventing law enforcement through the “de minimis” rule. The majority of Americans likely aren’t familiar with the “de minimis” rule, but law enforcement, along with federal elected officials, are. Drug traffickers know what the “de minimis” rule is, too. It’s a crater-sized loophole in federal shipping regulations that allows illicit drugs such as fentanyl to be smuggled into the United States through international mail. Formally known as the Section 321 De Minimis Provision, this federal regulation was established under the Tariff Act of 1930. It was intended to ease the burden of the U.S. Customs Service when inspecting low-value items such as souvenirs. Almost a century later, imports have skyrocketed, e-commerce is everywhere, and illicit drugs such as fentanyl to be smuggled into the United States through international mail. The unintended consequences of the “de minimis” loophole have placed an undue burden squarely on sheriffs and local law enforcement around the country dedicated to curbing the flow of fentanyl into their communities and preventing poisonings and overdose deaths. According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data, the U.S. received more than 1 billion individual packages claiming “de minimis” preferences in fiscal year 2023 — an increase of nearly 700% from the 150 million packages that entered via “de minimis” in 2016. As “de minimis” shipments have soared, fentanyl seizures have spiked more than 800% since fiscal 2019. As of September 2023, Customs had seized more than 26,000 pounds of fentanyl. The U. S. State Department recently acknowledged the dangers of “de minimis.” “Illicit fentanyl shipments directly shipped to the United States via air cargo, international mail, and express consignment are high-purity, low-weight shipments destined for criminal groups or individuals in the United States,” according to a 2019 State Department report. “Fentanyl traffickers often declare their international shipments as relatively low-value consumer goods and send them to mail centers or other addresses not associated with the criminal organization. “Clearnet or Darknet sales enhance criminals’ ability to hide their identities and reduce required reporting requirements if the shipment is declared to be of low value.” The result is more illegal drugs in our communities, more poisonings and overdose deaths, and additional pressure on law enforcement resources. ….Cont’d