DIY 1 source Jul 10, 1:29 PM EDT Updated 2h ago 0 views

Tariff evaders beware. Customs coming after you, AKCA says

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Tariff evaders beware. Customs coming after you, AKCA says By Larry Adams July 10, 2026 | 12:29 pm CDT googletag.cmd.push(function() { // Start by defining breakpoints for this ad. var mapping = googletag.sizeMapping() .addSize([768, 0], [320, 50]) .addSize([480, 0], [320,…

Tariff evaders beware. Customs coming after you, AKCA says By

Larry Adams

July 10, 2026 | 12:29 pm CDT

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Tariff evaders beware. Customs coming after you, AKCA says

Larry Adams

July 10, 2026 | 12:29 pm CDT

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over $120,000 in unmanifested kitchen cabinets in Norfolk on June 23 that were clandestinely imported from China. 

WASHINGTON, The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance (AKCA) welcomed a series of strong enforcement actions by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and federal prosecutors targeting companies accused of circumventing U.S. trade laws governing imported cabinets and vanities. 

AKCA wants to make businesses aware throughout the supply chain that they must closely examine their sourcing practices, verify the true origin of imported products, and ensure full compliance with U.S. customs laws, such as the Smuggling Act. If not, importers and every business in the supply chain can be prosecuted and face criminal penalties. This includes every company that sells cabinets.

Under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA), CBP has broad authority to investigate suspected violations, impose substantial duties and penalties, suspend shipments and pursue additional enforcement actions.

In late June 2026, CBP officers at the Port of Norfolk seized a shipment that had been declared as 10 kitchen cabinets valued at $500 but was found to contain 781 cartons of Chinese cabinets worth more than $120,000. According to CBP, the shipment had been deliberately misclassified and undervalued imports to evade applicable antidumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) duties.

Separately, federal prosecutors recently charged Uni-Tile & Marble and Uni-Stone & Cabinet in California with conspiring to evade more than $109 million in customs duties. One defendant who cheated the system remains in federal custody, while CBP has issued a pre-penalty notice seeking approximately $222.5 million related to the alleged scheme.

The cases come as the Trump Administration intensifies strong enforcement of U.S. trade laws covering imported kitchen cabinets, vanities, and component parts. Effective October 14, 2025, these products became subject to a 25 percent Section 232 tariff, which is scheduled to increase to 50 percent on January 1, 2027. These tariffs operate alongside existing AD/CVD orders.

In light of these policies, the AKCA is urging businesses throughout the supply chain to closely examine their sourcing practices, verify the true origin of imported products, and ensure full compliance with U.S. customs laws, such as the Smuggling Act.

"Every company that purchases or imports cabinets into the United States should pay close attention to this renewed enforcement effort. Importers and downstream suppliers cannot afford to look the other way when it comes to the country of origin for imported cabinetry," said Betsy Natz, President of the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance.

"Under federal law, companies and individuals involved in tariff evasion schemes can be held personally liable and face significant civil and criminal penalties. If you are purchasing imported cabinets - whether directly or from a company that buys imports - you need to know exactly where your products are coming from and whether they are entering the US legally or you will face the consequences."

CBP has made it clear that claims of ignorance do not excuse liability under EAPA. The U.S. Department of Justice has also expanded its use of the False Claims Act and criminal enforcement tools to pursue duty-evasion cases, securing multimillion-dollar settlements and significant penalties. The establishment of the Trade Fraud Task Force further underscores the federal government's heightened focus on combating customs fraud and tariff evasion.

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Supply Chain Issues

Tariffs and International Trade

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