The Department of Justice has created a new unit to investigate international trade crimes that harm U.S. industries, avoid tariffs, support forced labor, or help finance foreign adversaries.
The Global Trade & Commerce Enforcement Section (GTCES) will operate within the department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Justice Department said on July 14.
With a focus on criminal prosecutions, the new unit will lead complex criminal cases, including ones related to customs fraud, smuggling, false import documents, sanctions evasion, and international supply chain forced labor offenses.
“For too long, fraud actors have viewed customs violations as a mere surcharge or cost of doing business,” Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, head of the National Fraud Enforcement Division, said in a statement. “By utilizing the Department’s full weight, we are making it clear that trade fraud is a serious economic crime.”…