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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Successful targeting efforts by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) at the Port of Memphis resulted in the seizure of $61,000 in infant products that were determined to be unsafe for entry due to high lead paint content and choking hazards.
“The combined efforts of the Machinery Center, the Port of Memphis, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to identify and advance this shipment toward seizure serves as an illustrative example of effective enforcement through collaboration,” said Director Juan J. Porras, Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise.
In early July 2024, Machinery CEE enforcement team members targeted a shipment destined for Memphis with cargo descriptions indicating luggage carts, metal furniture mountings and “other” seats.
Upon further inspection of the shipment, Machinery CEE import specialists and Port of Memphis CBP officers found these items to be infants’ strollers, swings and highchairs. Due to the known safety risks associated with infants’ products, along with the apparent misclassification and misdescriptions used to conceal the true nature of the merchandise, CBP referred the shipment to local CPSC investigators for further field inspection.
Preliminary field analysis showed high lead content within various parts of infants’ strollers and highchairs, such as metal frames and seat cushions. Several samples were provided to CPSC for a full range of formal import safety tests.
On Sept. 17, 2024, CPSC provided CBP Memphis a full report with referral to seize and destroy all merchandise in the detained shipment. In all, 1,209 items of merchandise were seized, with a domestic value of $61,161.
These violations include high lead content, coin cell battery swallow hazards and missing and/or incomplete children’s product certificates. Following CPSC’s testing results, the importer and ultimate consignee were notified by CPSC for failure to comply with mandatory safety requirements, whereby corrective action through seizure and recall of merchandise was directed.
The Laredo Field Office’s Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise serves as a central point of contact for inquiries and resolutions on issues regarding machinery imports and became fully operational April 3, 2016. The Center serves as a single point of processing for all major businesses with accounts that fall under the Machinery’s overview and commodities such as, but not limited to, implement tools, mechanical and domestic appliances, electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof, measuring devices, firearms and ammunition, and water filters to name a few.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on X at @DFOLaredo on Instagram at @dfolaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.