The following new requests for antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings were filed with the Commerce Department during the week of Sept. 8-14:
Tim Warren
Timothy Warren is Executive Managing Editor of Communications Daily. He previously led the International Trade Today editorial team from the time it was purchased by Warren Communications News in 2012 through the launch of Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Tim is a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
The Customs Law Committee of the American Bar Association released its annual year in review, published in conjunction with the Southern Methodist University Law School. The article includes summaries of some of the major regulatory and court actions in 2013 that affected customs law.
CBP released its Sept. 17 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 37). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent Court of International Trade decisions.
Miller & Chevalier added customs lawyer Richard Mojica, previously with Baker & McKenzie, as counsel in the firm's Washington office, Miller & Chevalier said in an email.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Sept. 8-14:
A pharmacist and a pharmacologist were charged with "conspiring to smuggle and supply more than 4 million misbranded and counterfeit pills into the" U.S.," said ICE in a Sept. 15 press release. The indictment charges Marla Ahlgrimm of Wisconsin, and Balbir Bhogal of Nevada, "with importing and distributing controlled substances and misbranded drugs, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, mail and wire fraud, smuggling and money laundering," it said. "Even though they did not hold an importer's license from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the defendants allegedly arranged" for the import of controlled substances into the U.S, said ICE. The drugs were allegedly intended for an Internet pharmacy in Costa Rica, it said.
CBP is undergoing its "own version of a corporate reorganization" as the agency continues work to increase the role of the Centers of Excellence and Expertise, said Deputy Commissioner Kevin McAleenan , who spoke during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Government Affairs Conference on Sept. 16. The agency is aligning its staff with how industry is set up, he said. That includes adjustments to the agency's field operations, the Office of Trade and legal counsel, all of which is helping CBP develop a better "compliance and security posture," said McAleenan.
CBP Los Angeles/Long Beach will hold a trade forum on Sept. 29 at 9:30 a.m. to discuss agriculture procedures at the Port of LA/LB. The program will cover agriculture reimbursable overtime, Asian gypsy moth and animal product importation requirements. The presentation will be held at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport CBP Shoreline Building in Long Beach, Calif. Reservations are required, and will be accepted on a first-come first-served basis until a maximum of 120 attendees is reached. To register, call Harold Fox at (562) 366-5467.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Sept. 15 with 115 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 183,748. The most recent ruling is dated 09/15/14.