CBP Seizes Illegally Exported Deuterium Bound for China
CBP officers seized a shipment of China-bound deuterium cylinders that was exported without a license, the agency said in a statement on Oct. 31. The shipment, which was seized on Oct. 18 in Norfolk, Virginia, was worth a little more than $175,000, CBP said.
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The shipment violated nuclear nonproliferation export licensing laws, CBP said. In August, the Bureau of Industry and Security expanded the scope of nuclear-related export controls on China and Macau to include deuterium (see 2308110019).
Deuterium is a stable isotope of hydrogen used in "military, industrial, and scientific applications and requires a license to be exported to China," CBP said.
CBP's National Targeting Center identified the shipment on a manifest of a shipping container on Aug. 22 and asked Norfolk CBP to make sure the export was lawful. Officers inspected the container on Sept. 6 and found 10 gas cylinders of deuterium and one cylinder of deuterium silane, CBP said.
BIS determined the shipments were prohibited for export on Oct. 11 and asked CBP to seize the cylinders. CBP seized the cylinders on Oct. 18.
“This seizure demonstrates how Customs and Border Protection contributes our border and trade facilitation authorities to assist partner agencies in intercepting illicit, and potentially dangerous shipments,” said Mark Laria, CBP’s Norfolk area port director.