CBP targets unsafe auto lamps, sunglasses

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it is shining its enforcement spotlight on imports of conversion kits for high-intensity discharge lamps, replacement light sources and ballasts that violate federal safety standards.
   Shipments of non-compliant merchandise are being identified at the agency’s Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC) for Import Safety with the help of the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
   Last month, CBP officers at the Port of Newark, N.J., seized a shipment of 10,700 imported conversion kits with a domestic value of about $570,000. The equipment failed to meet DOT requirements that headlamp replaceable light sources be marked with the light source type, the light source manufacturer’s name or trademark, and the DOT symbol indicating certification of compliance with governing regulations. The shipment also had other compliance problems, according to CBP.
   HID conversion kits are custom light sources and ballasts manufactured to be installed into headlamps that were not designed to use them. They pose potential glare hazards to other drivers. The street value for HID conversion kits can run anywhere from $150 to $500 per kit.       
   CBP’s guard has been up since receiving a complaint last December about possible fraudulent shipments of high-intensity lamps. Since October 2009, CBP has seized more than 400,000 HID conversion kits and components for violating DOT regulations, equaling a total combined domestic value of about $5 million. A significant portion of those shipments arrived in the United States from Southeast Asia via air cargo or express mail carriers. CBP and DOT work together to examine, sample and test imported autos and parts that may be unsafe.  
   Specialists from several agencies are housed at the CTAC to coordinate analysis and compliance exams of imports that pose a potential safety hazard.
   Meanwhile, CBP said it seized last month a shipment of 30,300 pairs of sunglasses with a fake Lacoste trademark at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport area.
   The Chinese shipment has a domestic value of $48,000, but if it entered the stream of commerce it would have displaced $4.5 million worth of legitimate sunglasses.
   In addition to depriving the manufacturer of sales, counterfeit sunglasses may cause harm because they may not be impact resistant, may shatter and may not provide ultraviolet protection, CBP said.