CBP Crackdown on China Airfreight Reported

April's announced "enhanced" enforcement of small package imports threatens to bring certain e-commerce activities to a standstill.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is inspecting every single ecommerce shipment coming from mainland China on freighters – leading to airport congestion, delays and the cancellation or suspension of some flights, according to reporting by The Loadstar.

“All freighters coming into LAX from mainland China, many of which are Shein and Temu, are going straight to Customs warehouses for full inspection,” said one source at LAX. “And CBP is finding a lot of illegal stuff. There is fentanyl, drug-making equipment and misdeclarations of value to meet the de minimis threshold.”

Several air freight operators are reported to be suspending flights, creating concerns among Chinese e-commerce shippers.

In April, DHS announced an "enhanced strategy" to combat illicit trade and protect the US textile industry.   Leading measures introduced is a crackdown on small package shipments. [See 12005]

“We are pulling out all the stops to stay one step ahead of the bad actors that try to threaten this essential industry,” said Troy Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner for CBP  announcing the program.