NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized approximately $170,000 worth of automative struts and shock absorbers from China in Norfolk after the importer submitted several fraudulent identifications and documentation.
On May 27, CBP officers initially inspected a shipping container and found 1,602 front strut and coil spring assemblies and 20 shock absorbers. Before the container’s arrival from Hong Kong, CBP received documents reporting varying commodity values and buyer information, inaccurate and insufficient invoice data, mismatched importer signatures and an invalid driver’s license.
Based on the misleading and conflicting information on the import documents, CBP officers concluded that the shipment violated 18 USC § 542, entry of goods by means of false statements…