Three congressional representatives sent a letter to the heads of the DOJ, DHS and the FDA, urging them to act against e-cigarette imports from China.
NEW YORK -- The executive director of CBP's Office of Trade Relations told U.S. Fashion Industry Association conference attendees this week that CBP thought crossing the 1 billion de minimis packages threshold was big, but then volume increased about 40% in the 2024 fiscal year. Felicia Pullam said CBP cannot handle that kind of massive increase and is confident it's stopping dangerous contact lenses, vapes, toys with lead paint, counterfeit airbags, medicines and other illicit goods.
Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce's Health Subcommittee criticized the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products for giving its blessing to so few vaping delivery systems and liquids put in electronic cigarettes, saying that the vast black market of vaping products is benefiting China, and that having so few legitimate products available makes it more dangerous for smokers who are wanting to switch from cigarettes to vaping, which is less harmful to their health.
Funding for the next seven months for the trade-related divisions of the Commerce Department will be down slightly, though fees may more than make up the difference at the International Trade Administration, if projections are accurate. These are considerations as Congress eyes finalizing an appropriations bill by the end of the workweek.
Comments are due to the International Trade Commission by Oct. 27 in a potential Section 337 investigation and general exclusion order on imported disposable vaporizers, the agency said in a Federal Register notice.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the weeks of Oct. 3-9 and Oct. 10-16:
The following lawsuits were recently filed at the Court of International Trade:
Malaysia recently updated its customs duty order to cover a range of emerging products and technologies, including drones, smartphones and vapes, KPMG said April 20. Importers need to take steps to accurately declare the tariff codes of the new products, KPMG said, especially importers of agricultural, chemical, wood, textile, metal and machinery goods. The changes take effect June 1.
Muhammad Uzair Khalid of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty Nov. 23 to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, for illegally importing counterfeit vaping products from China, the Department of Justice said. The trafficked goods include counterfeit vaping atomizers, labels, boxes and bags for vaping-related products. Uzair admitted to regularly communicating with Chinese manufacturers about the counterfeit vaping products, including on methods to imitate the branding and logos of the well-known U.S. vape companies, DOJ said. The counterfeit goods were seized during a 2019 search of Uzair's storefront by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations as part of a broader initiative by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA and state and local health departments to counter lung-related diseases associated with unregulated vaping products.
Muhammad Uzair Khalid of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty Nov. 23 to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, for illegally importing counterfeit vaping products from China, the Department of Justice said. The trafficked goods include counterfeit vaping atomizers, labels, boxes and bags for vaping-related products. Uzair admitted to regularly communicating with Chinese manufacturers about the counterfeit vaping products, including on methods to imitate the branding and logos of the well-known U.S. vape companies, DOJ said. The counterfeit goods were seized during a 2019 search of Uzair's storefront by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations as part of a broader initiative by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FDA and state and local health departments to counter lung-related diseases associated with unregulated vaping products.