Homeland Security Investigations Chicago Seizes Nearly 60 Tons of Honey Illegall

[BeeMaster2]

CHICAGO ? Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement?s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized nearly 60 tons of illegally imported Chinese honey June 29, 2016 that was destined for U.S. consumers.

The smuggled honey was contained in 195 55-gallon drums that were falsely declared as originating from Vietnam to evade anti-dumping duties applicable to Chinese-origin honey.
The honey likely originated from the same exporter in Vietnam as another 60 tons of honey that was seized by HSI Chicago in the Midwest in April. Wednesday?s seizure was allegedly imported into the United States by a shell importer of record in New York, New York. Agents located the honey by combing through transportation shipping records to piece together its whereabouts.
Prior to seizing the smuggled honey, HSI sent samples to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laboratory for analysis, where it was determined that the honey had a greater than 99 percent probability match with honey from China. Similar to the April seizure, the June 29 seizure was accompanied by altered reports from a private laboratory with analyses completely unrelated to the seized honey. The private laboratory fully cooperated with HSI and is considered a victim of identity theft.
With assistance from CBP Chicago, HSI seized the illicit honey June 29 from a warehouse in suburban Chicago.  The seized honey will be destroyed in its entirety following its successful forfeiture at the conclusion of the government?s ongoing investigation.
HSI has stepped up its efforts regarding commercial fraud investigations that focus on U.S. economic, and health and safety interests. These anti-dumping criminal schemes create a divergent market that negatively affects legitimate businesses. In the case of honey, the United States relies on legitimately imported foreign-origin honey to meet the demand in the foodservice and commercial baking sectors; but that honey must be lawfully sourced from reputable buyers and sellers.
With the recent enactment of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA), Congress recognized that industries and companies that circumvent U.S. law and regulation remain a risk to this nation?s economic security.  Among its provisions, TFTEA requires ICE and CBP to collaborate to enhance trade enforcement, with specific emphasis on honey illegally imported into the United States in violation of U.S. customs and trade laws.
In December 2001, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed anti-dumping duties after determining that Chinese-origin honey was being sold in the United States at less than fair-market value. The duties first imposed were as high as 221 percent of the declared value. Later these duties were assessed against the entered net weight, currently at $2.63 per net kilogram, in addition to a "honey assessment fee" of 1.5? per pound on all honey.
In 2008, federal authorities in Chicago began investigating allegations of organizations circumventing anti-dumping duties through illegal imports, including transshipment and mislabeling, on the ?supply side? of the honey industry. The second phase of the investigation involved the illegal buying, processing and trading of honey that illegally entered the U.S. on the ?demand side? of the industry.  In these multi-year investigations, HSI Chicago and the Department of Justice together convicted nine individuals (not including 10 remaining foreign fugitives) in a series of global schemes which evaded nearly $260 million in anti-dumping duties on honey from China, and which also involved honey containing antibiotics prohibited in food.

[little john]

I understand why this honey has been seized - but why destroy it ?  Why not give it away to those folks on food stamps, or the elderly - or even the prison system ?
LJ

[Dallasbeek]

Am I reading it correctly that it isn't really honey but sugar water -- fake honey?  If so, it sould not be called honey after the disclosure that it is phony honey.  It should be called something else besides honey.  And as such it's a threat to health, so it should be destroyed.  How do they go about "destroying" honey?

[Dallasbeek]

I guess I misread it.  Sorry.

[Hops Brewster]

"the June 29 seizure was accompanied by altered reports from a private laboratory with analyses completely unrelated to the seized honey."

Some Chinese honey, which the producers take pains to avoid lawful export, is notorious for being adulterated.  High levels of HFCS, flavorings, insecticides and other chems make it questionable as a safe food.  I wouldn't feed it to my friends, nor the needy.

[GSF]

Seems like I remembering something about the Chinese commercial folks using lead tanks as well.

[little john]

If it's really bad stuff, then turn it into rat poison - anything but destroy it ...

Typical governments - bl##dy wasteful ...  It was the same after WWII, when the U-Boat fleet surrendered - what did they do ? - towed 'em all out to sea and sank 'em.  Very symbolic I suppose, and small beer when compared with the hundreds of thousands of tons of shipping that had been sunk.  Same with all the unused ammunition after D-Day - millions of rounds, all chucked overboard.

Wasteful buggers.
LJ

[Caribou]

I wouldn't eat it, wouldn't feed it to my bees, and I wouldn't feed it to anything that might get back into the food system. I'm glad they found it.  There is too much of this stuff finding its way into our markets.  Imported honey has a bad reputation. 

Sixty tons is a respectable amount of honey and it sounds as if this is at least the second such shipment they have found. I hate to see anything go to waste.  Even though this is an adulterated product and quite possibly fake to boot there is something it could be useful for.  Every year many carloads of corn are turned into alcohol for our cars.  This drives up the cost of corn in the stores as well as beef and other meat products that are normally fed corn.  Alcohol for fuel would be a useful item for these seizures.

[Psparr]

I agree with you little john, but could you imagine the red tape involved with the government to actually get it done? It would cost more in redundant paperwork than the actual cost of the honey!