With the U.S. year-end holiday shopping season in full swing, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the International Mail Facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has stepped up its nationwide Operation Mega Flex effort to monitor, interdict and seize illegal shipments of small parcels from China, the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement Friday (Oct. 30).
In just one day this month, customs officials at LAX’s International Mail Facility intercepted 812 shipments of counterfeit footwear, handbags, clothing, contraband animal and plant products, and other goods that threaten the health and safety of consumers, undermine the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, and put U.S. agriculture and the environment at risk, the statement said.
“CBP will continue to use all available methods to ensure that products entering the United States do not harm Americans and create a fair and competitive trade environment for U.S. manufacturers,” said Carlos Martel, director of the Los Angeles office of Customs and Border Protection.
CBP said that through its nationwide “Operation Ultra Soft,” they found that more than 13 percent of the targeted shipments contained counterfeit or contraband merchandise. Since July 2019, CBP has seized more than 4,800 shipments and nearly 2,600 agricultural violations through the operation.
The explosion of e-commerce has created a vast underground market for a wide variety of illegal goods, from counterfeit drugs, electronics and clothing to shipments containing potentially The list of banned foods that cause fatal animal diseases goes on and on.”
“Operation Ultra Soft is an interagency effort launched in July 2019 and led by Customs and Border Protection to address China’s trade violations and illegal networks in international mail through regular and enhanced inspections.
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