An attempt to dodge the anti-dumping tax by a Chinese importer was intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport. Over 21 million plastic grocery bags were found hidden in the "nose" of the shipping container and tucked inside a legitimate shipment of non-infringing, handle-less veggie bags, as per LA Daily. The offending Chinese company is a first-time offender, and may get off easy this time with half a million in losses. A federal investigation may be in order if the offence is repeated.
Plastic bags arriving from China are subject to anti-dumping duty fees if they are composed of over 50% polyethylene. The confiscated bags fell into that category, but were concealed in a shipment of bags that did not require the fee. The duty that should have been paid on the shipment of 21 million bags amounted to US$448,833.
22-Dec-10 
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