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  4. EAPA Action: Determination as to Evasion in EAPA Case 7335 - Pipe Fittings

EAPA Action: Determination as to Evasion in EAPA Case 7335 - Pipe Fittings

WASHINGTON—On November 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued its determination as to evasion against Norca Industrial Company, LLC (Norca) and International Piping & Procurement Group, LP (IPPG) in its Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) investigation, EAPA Case 7335, into the evasion of an antidumping and duty (AD) order for carbon steel butt-weld pipe fittings (pipe fittings) from The People’s Republic of China (China). CBP found substantial evidence that Norca and IPPG evaded AD order A-570-814 by transshipping the merchandise through Vietnam. Norca and IPPG did not declare that the merchandise was subject to an AD order upon entry and no cash deposits were collected on the merchandise. As a result, Norca and IPPG evaded a significant amount of antidumping duties owed to the U.S. Government.

In light of CBP’s determination that Norca and IPPG entered covered merchandise into the customs territory of the United States through evasion, and pursuant to its authorities under EAPA, CBP will continue to:

  • Suspend liquidation of unliquidated entries already suspended under this investigation;
  • Rate adjust and change to Entry Type 03 entries subject to this investigation and suspend liquidation;
  • Reject any entry summaries and require a re-file for those entries that are within the entry summary reject period;
  • Require “live” entry for all imports of pipe fittings meeting the evasion criteria, requiring the importer to submit proper documentation and all duties prior to release of the merchandise; and
  • Require single transaction bonds, as appropriate, and evaluate the sufficiency of the importer’s continuous bonds.

These actions do not preclude CBP from taking additional enforcement measures as it determines appropriate under its EAPA or other legal authorities, which include pursuing civil penalties or investigations into criminal violations.

For additional information on CBP and EAPA, please visit CBP.gov. If you suspect an importer of duty evasion, CBP encourages you to submit an allegation through our online portal.

Follow CBP Office of Trade on Twitter @CBPTradeGov.

Last Modified: Dec 16, 2020