Gold nuggets seized on their way to Hong Kong
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Port of Cincinnati seized an outbound shipment declared as containing clothing after they discovered it also contained loose gold and gold bars worth far more than the declared value of USD 125.
Officers selected the shipment for an x-ray exam while conducting routine inspections on cargo exported from the United States to international destinations. After noting density anomalies during the x-ray screening, officers opened the shipment and found four gold bars and a box of loose gold concealed within articles of clothing.
The package originated from an apartment in San Francisco, California and was headed for an address in Kowloon, Hong Kong. CBP’s Laboratories and Scientific Services (LSS) confirmed the gold was approximately 98% pure, leading import specialists from the centres for excellence and expertise to assess the value of the shipment at USD 67,830. (cj)