U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago had a busy month. During March officers seized 351 shipments in air cargo totaling 455 pounds of unapproved human growth hormones and steroids. These items would have been valued at over $3.2 million.
Most of these shipments originated from China and were destined for different cities within the U.S. The packages were being smuggled into the country in large, or master carton, shipping boxes containing many smaller, unmanifested, individual shipments. These unmanifested shipments were prelabeled with shipping labels and would later be sent through a domestic parcel carrier to the intended recipient.
“Customs and Border Protection officers examine arriving parcels and will continue to seize any illicit product violating our nation’s import laws,” said Michael Pfeiffer, CBP’s senior officer at the Chicago Field Office. “Consumers who purchase these products should stop this activity as it is dangerous. The ingredients are unverified and may not have the appropriate regulatory certification required for sale in the U.S. Do you want to put your health or your child’s health in jeopardy because you think you found a good deal?”
The original announcement can be found here.
