Texas Importer Faces Lacey Act Charges for False Country of Origin Labels on Shrimp
A Texas company has been charged with Lacey Act violations for falsely claiming shrimp it imported from Mexico was caught in U.S. waters, said the Justice Department on March 31 (here). According to DOJ, Garcia Shrimp bought 35,000 pounds of…
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Mexican shrimp, and upon arrival it removed the “Mexico labels” from the packages and attached new ones saying the shrimp was caught in U.S. waters. The company also created “false records and bills of lading to make it appear that the shrimp was caught by a U.S.-flagged fishing vessel,” DOJ alleged. The seafood was eventually sold to a New Orleans-based seafood distributor for $120,800, said DOJ. If convicted, Garcia Shrimp faces a fine of $500,000 and five years of probation.