WASHINGTON—On March 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Notice of Investigation and Interim Measures as a part of an ongoing Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) investigation, EAPA Case 7522, into the alleged evasion of antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) orders involving quartz surface products (“QSP”) from The People’s Republic of China (China). During the course of its investigation, CBP developed a reasonable suspicion that AAA Innovation LLC (AAA); Astera Kitchen and Bath, Inc. (Astera); FTR LLC (FTR); GHS Group (GHS), LLC; Gin Investments Corp. (Gin); Gold Stone Kitchen Depot Inc. (Gold Stone); Granite Collection Inc. (Granite Collection); Ilkem Marble & Granite Inc. (Ilkem); Next Generation Marble and Granite LLC (Next Generation); North Creation Granite Co. (North Creation); RQ Sales Co. LLC (RQ Sales Colorado); RQ Sales LLC (RQ Sales Nevada); The Top Shop, Inc. (Top Shop); Total Scope Cabinets and Tops LLC (Total Scope); and YNJ Management LLC (YNJ) (collectively, “the Importers”) imported QSP from China by misclassifying it as crushed glass to evade AD/CVD orders A-570-084 and C-570-085, potentially evading a significant amount in AD/CVD duties owed to the U.S. Government.
CBP has taken the following interim measures against the Importers in order to protect U.S. revenue from future evasion attempts:
- Requiring “live” entry for all imports of QSP, meaning the Importers must submit proper import documentation and duties prior to the release of its merchandise;
- Suspending or extending entries of aluminum extrusions without final computation or determination of duties (liquidation), as appropriate; and
- Reviewing the Importers’ 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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