CSP Daily reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport seized nearly $60,000 worth of counterfeit cigarettes from passengers arriving on a cruise ship from Ensenada, Mexico, according to a CBP statement last week.
On April 17, two female passengers traveling together disembarked an ocean liner arriving to Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal and presented themselves for inspection, where CBP discovered 10 pieces of luggage full of cigarettes, including 749 cartons of illicit cigarettes.
“Large quantities of cigarettes are considered ‘commercial,’ not personal use; therefore, an importer permit from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is required,” CBP said in a statement. “In addition, tobacco product labels must meet FDA standards, such as including nicotine warnings and accurate product descriptions.”
Although the travelers presented purchase receipts, they were unable to provide the appropriate permits to import such a quantity of tobacco products. All 749 cartons will be destroyed under CBP supervision.
