NORFOLK, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Norfolk, Va., recently seized over $450,000 in dental supplies that shipped from China for violating laws governing country of origin marking. Both shipments were destined to the same address in Baltimore.
Country of origin marking on imported consumer goods are required by law (19 U.S.C. § 1304 and 19 C.F.R. part 134). The country of origin is the country of manufacture, production, or growth of any article of foreign origin entering the United States. Country of origin and related marking not only inform consumers of the origin of imported products but also help to enforce trade laws that are applied on a country-specific basis.
The purpose of the marking is to inform the ultimate purchasers in the United States of the country in which the imported goods are made, so that the consumers are able to differentiate between domestic and imported products and to make informed purchase decisions. The law also requires that the marking be clearly and visibly located on the product.
CBP officers seized the most recent shipment on September 17. It consisted of nearly two million prophy angle cups, and over 1.6 million dental tray covers. That shipment was destined to an address in Baltimore. The shipment was assessed at $419,211.
CBP officers seized the first shipment on August 26. That shipment, which was also destined to the same Baltimore address, consisted of nearly 1.8 million dental bibs. This shipment was assessed at $35,980.
“Consumers have the right, under U.S. law, to know where the products they are purchasing are sourced, including materials used to make those products. Omitting country of origin markings deprives American consumers of that right to choose how they spend their hard-earned money and who profits from their spending,” said Mark Laria, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News, Va. “Customs and Border Protection officers inspect imports every day and enforce a variety of laws that protect American consumers’ rights and safety and the vitality of our nation’s economy.”
Read more from CBP about country of origin markings on U.S. imports.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
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