CBP lists 2012 accomplishments

   In fiscal year 2012, ended Sept. 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers processed more than $2.3 billion in trade and 25 million containers (ocean boxes, and intermodal containers crossing from Mexico and Canada). The value of imports and the volume of inbound containers increased 5 percent and 4 percent, respectively, from the prior year, the agency said.
   Enforcement action to protect the intellectual property of U.S. companies resulted in 23,000 seizures of goods with a total retail value of $1.2 billion, up 14 percent from 2011.
   CBP opened four new Centers for Excellence and Expertise, representing the leading wave for the agency’s new way for processing imports on a national basis, using industry specialists who can apply rules in a uniform way. These CEEs support electronics; pharmaceuticals; automotive and aerospace; and petroleum, natural gas and minerals industries. Six more centers are in the process of being launched.
   Officers and Border Patrol agents confiscated more than 4.2 million pounds of narcotics and $100 million in unreported currency.
   Trusted traveler programs proved popular, with 414,000 new enrollments in programs that expedite clearance at airports and land ports of entry for those who submit to a background check and provide other information in advance. CBP also aligned its international traveler programs with the Transportation Security Administration’s Pre-Check program for domestic U.S. travel.
   CBP said agriculture specialists stopped almost 174,000 potentially dangerous pests from entering the United States and intercepted more than 1.6 million items of prohibited plant materials, meat and animal byproducts.