WASHINGTON—On November 23, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Notice of Investigation and Interim Measures as part of an ongoing Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) investigation, EAPA Case 7509, into the alleged evasion of an antidumping duty order involving the transshipment of steel wheels from The People’s Republic of China (China). During the course of its investigation, CBP developed a reasonable suspicion that Vanguard National Trailer Corp. (Vanguard) imported steel wheels from China by transshipping them through Thailand to evade AD/CVD orders A-570-082 and C-570-083, potentially evading a significant amount in antidumping duties owed to the U.S. Government.
CBP has taken the following interim measures against Vanguard in order to protect U.S. revenue from future evasion attempts:
- Requiring “live” entry for all imports of steel wheels, meaning Vanguard must submit proper import documentation and duties prior to the release of its merchandise;
- Suspending or extending entries of steel wheels without final computation or determination of duties (liquidation), as appropriate; and
- Reviewing Vanguard’s continuous bond and application of single transaction bonds for it, as appropriate.
As a result of implementing EAPA interim measures, CBP halts the potential evasion of a significant amount of antidumping duties annually. If you suspect an importer of duty evasion, CBP encourages you to submit an allegation through our online portal.
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