SEATTLE, Wash. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma seized a shipment of toy ski scooters and a shipment of toy UFOs in February that were found to contain high levels of lead.
“CBP officers’ primary mission is to protect this nation from terrorists and terrorist weapons, however, they also remain vigilant in protecting our communities from all threats,” said Seattle Area Port Director Mark Wilkerson. “The high levels of lead in these toys posed a serious threat to the health and safety of children in our neighborhoods.”
at the Port of Tacoma, Washington, seized
a shipment of toy ski scooters that contained
dangerous levels of lead.
Both of the seized shipments arrived from China. When field tests were performed upon the merchandise, lead levels in excess of the federal legal limit were discovered. The items were seized in accordance with the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
The shipment seized at the Port of Seattle contained nearly 4,500 toy UFOs with a domestic value of nearly $17,000, while the shipment seized in Tacoma contained more than 3,400 ski scooters with a domestic value of nearly $33,000.
As the United States’ first unified border entity, CBP takes a comprehensive approach to border management and control, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity.
The men and women of CBP are responsible for enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws and regulations. On a typical day, CBP welcomes nearly one million visitors, screens more than 67,000 cargo containers, arrests more than 1,100 individuals, and seizes nearly 6 tons of illicit drugs. Annually, CBP facilitates an average of more than $3 trillion in legitimate trade while enforcing U.S. trade laws.
On a typical day in fiscal year 2016, CBP officers throughout the nation processed more than 74,000 truck, rail and sea containers and $6.3 billion worth of imported products.