Area Port of Mobile intercepts $120,000 in unregistered disinfectant wipes
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MOBILE, AL (WALA) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at the Area Port of Mobile recently intercepted more than $120,000 worth of mislabeled and unregistered disinfectant wipes.
Officials say CBP officers discovered a container of 843 boxes containing 20,016 bottles of disinfectant wipes that bore no approved markings from neither the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They say after further examination from CBP, FDA, and EPA, the shipment was refused entry based on false and/or misleading labeling and failure to report to the FDA.
“The dedicated workforce of CBP remains vigilant and committed to identifying and seizing counterfeit, unapproved or otherwise substandard COVID-19 products that can potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers,” said Anthony Acrey, Mobile Port Director. “Establishing and maintaining partnerships with other government agencies is vital to ensure success.”
Since the pandemic began until the end of June, CBP had seized more than:
• 120,000 FDA-prohibited COVID-19 test kits in 339 incidents. These items were either prohibited for not meeting regulatory/legal requirements, or they were potentially unlicensed;
• 10 million counterfeit face masks seized in 80 incidents;
• 3,000 EPA-prohibited anti-virus lanyards in 95 incidents;
• 20,000 FDA-prohibited chloroquine tablets in 140 incidents; and
• 4,000 tablets of antibiotics, such as azithromycin in 76 incidents.
Consumers who know of, or believe they have been a victim of fraudulent activity can report the violation to e-Allegations Online Trade Violation Reporting System or 1-800-BE-ALERT. They may also call the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at iprcenter.gov/referral or by telephone at 1-866-IPR-2060.
The Area Port of Mobile is one of three area ports under the CBP New Orleans Office of Field Operations, and oversees port operations across Alabama and Mississippi.
The CBP New Orleans area of operation also includes the Area Port of New Orleans, which oversees ports in Louisiana, and the Area Port of Memphis, which oversees ports in Tennessee and Arkansas.
Border security crimes in the CBP New Orleans area of operation, including trade violations, can be reported by calling 1-866-237-3468.
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