US

Customs Agents Seize Over 8,000 Chinese Bongs Bound For California

No featured image available

Customs and Border Protection officials seized over 8,000 Chinese bongs in Sterling, Virginia, on Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers reportedly seized 8,387 bongs from an air cargo shipment from China at the Washington Dulles International Airport, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. The shipment included 41 boxes of glass and silicone boxes worth nearly $143,000 and was addressed to an address in Los Angeles County, California.

“Customs and Border Protection remains committed to facilitating lawful trade while identifying consumer goods that violate U.S. laws or illicit products that can potentially harm our nation’s citizens,” Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office Casey Durst said, according to the DHS.

ICYMI: CBP officers at Dulles Airport seized 8,378 smoking bongs and pipes from China this week, with a value of nearly $143K.

Federal law prohibits the importation of drug paraphernalia. Learn more via @CBPMidAtlantic: https://t.co/aNsec7x7wq pic.twitter.com/kpGrPRhrCq

— CBP (@CBP) October 4, 2020

“Legitimate international trade helps to sustain our nation’s economic vitality and security,” Durst added. The shipment was initially examined on Sept. 8. 

Federal laws ban drug paraphernalia imports, according to the DHS. CBP’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center for Excellence and Expertise estimated the shipment to be worth $142,495.

CBP Trade Operations facilities enforce trade laws, on average they processed 97,342 entries worth over $7 billion daily in 2019, according to the DHS.