Category: Detention

Customs Detention and Inspection for Smuggling

There are several reasons why imported merchandise might undergo a customs detention. Visit our page explaining the detention process and the rights of an interested person in a detention for more information. Usually merchandise is detained for inspection so U.S. Customs & Border Protection can assess the admissibility of the imported merchandise or to verify the declared country of origin, preference claims, classification, valuation, and whether or not the merchandise is prohibited or restricted based on any number of laws and regulations enforced by customs. In some cases, customs detention of shipments, or a customs inspection, is caused by suspected smuggling. For example, shipments of tile have been detained in the past because smugglers were using tile to conceal heroin shipments.

Customs made two such recent drug busts this weekend during inspection of imported merchandise. The first story (accessible HERE) found more than three pounds of “heroin was contained in several cylinders and concealed in a shipment of flowers” with an estimated street value of $150,000.

Inspection and Customs Detention of Imported Merchandise
Heroin concealed in Flower Import

In a second seizure story, a customs detention of imported cargo found over 3,000 lbs worth of marijuana smuggled into the U.S. and manifested as Christmas bows:

Officers ran the tractor and trailer through the port’s imaging system and it showed anomalies with the cargo.  Officers probed one of the boxes and extracted a green-leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana.

Officers subsequently extracted 209 large packages of marijuana from inside the boxes, valued at $1.5 million.

Inspection and Customs Detention of Imported MerchandiseU.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility Thursday afternoon discovered 3,370 pounds of marijuana in a shipment of Christmas bows. [ . . . ] The CBP officer referred the driver [of the truck] for a more in-depth examination. [ . . . ]

Officers ran the tractor and trailer through the port’s imaging system and it showed anomalies with the cargo.  Officers probed one of the boxes and extracted a green-leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana.

Officers subsequently extracted 209 large packages of marijuana from inside the boxes, valued at $1.5 million. [ . . . ] CBP seized the marijuana, tractor and trailer.

The images are from each of the shipments. As you can see, although the heroine was mingled in with flowers, there was apparently no effort made to conceal the marijuana with actual Christmas bows.

If you have received a notice of detention, have merchandise under intensive examination by customs call our office at (734) 855-4999 to speak to a customs lawyer, or reach out through our contact page. We are able to assist at ports around the country, including Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando and many other places.