Brazil’s Revenue seizes 5.5 tonnes of padlocks hidden among parasols, umbrellas coming from China

Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service found 5.5 tonnes of Chinese-made padlocks hidden among a cargo of parasols and umbrellas during a routine inspection of imported goods on April 4, 2023.

The goods had been declared solely as “umbrellas and parasols” by the importer. The goods were reported as “umbrellas and umbrellas” in the declaration presented by the importer. However, the scanner image raised eyebrows, leading to a full-on container inspection. The padlocks were discovered hidden in 178 boxes inside the container, along with the 1072 boxes that contained the legally-declared goods.

It is worth noting that the import of Chinese padlocks is subject to an anti-dumping duty in the form of a rate of US$ 10.11 per kilogram. Therefore, preventing the illegal entry of these products into Brazil aims to protect the national industry from unfair competition and combat tax evasion.

The Customs Authority detained the goods in Recife to initiate an administrative forfeiture process. In addition, foreign goods that arrive in the country with false declarations or are otherwise hidden are subject to the penalty of forfeiture, as they represent a loss to the public purse.

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