[Nhcoll-l] USFWS seizure of imports

[Chris Grinter]

Hi everyone,
As an update to our issue with USFWS, there is no news nor return of
specimens. Our loan has been seized and a formal petition to the USFWS for
return of property has been met with silence. The package was declared, but
written in Mandarin and was not translated by CBP. The box did lack a
3-177, which is why they are citing us in violation of the CFR, Lacey Act,
and Endangered Species Act. We haven't gotten criminal or civil charges
from this import, but it's not out of scope for the current administration
to enforce. On top of packages being seized, please note that students or
immigrant visa holders entering the US should avoid carrying specimens at
all times. Failure to declare or failure to "properly declare" has now been
used by customs and border to detain at least one student, who is facing
federal criminal charges for smuggling frog embryo slides before her
eventual deportation.

This is just a reminder in the current climate that all paperwork must be
accurate and submitted well in advance for all wildlife transactions into
and out of the US. As Dirk mentioned in a followup, it is much
preferred to *send
parcels into the US via private carrier* and not through national postal
mail. Offices in NY are particularly intense right now and are screening
packages entering via USPS from Europe and China. And for anyone entering
with hand-carried specimens into LAX airport, they also require an
in-person 3-hour scheduled meeting with USFWS officers to clear your
hand-carry. If you schedule ahead there is a good chance officers will
waive your inspection, but failure to schedule will result in seizures and
possible detention. If your flight arrives after hours you are required to
pay overtime fees for this inspection, or schedule your meeting during
business hours.

Hope this helps,
Chris

Christopher C. Grinter
Senior Collection Manager of Entomology
Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society
Subject Editor: Lepidoptera, The Pacific Coast Entomological Society
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr
San Francisco, CA 94118
T 415.379.5320
We regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and
collaboration.
Learn more at calacademy.org <http://www.calacademy.org/>
<https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/>


On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM Chris Grinter <cgrinter at calacademy.org>
wrote:

> Hi all,
> I want to give everyone a warning that the NY USFWS office has been
> seizing packages that do not contain pre-cleared 3-177 documents. I've just
> received an official notice of seizure for a loan that came back from China
> (via NY for some reason). The package was clearly labeled with a
> declaration of specimens, loan for systematic research, etc—however the
> agents at JFK seized the material as a violation of the Lacey Act, failure
> to mark appropriately (lacking 3-177 is how I interpret this), and failure
> to obtain clearance. The package was intercepted in September 2024 and I
> got notice today. No one at the NY office will pick up the phone or return
> my messages.
>
> If you're receiving material from anywhere abroad it's critical to get a
> pre-cleared 3-177 and keep a close eye on the tracking number.
> Unfortunately if a package is seized by USFWS there is no update posted to
> USPS, it just shows as "in transit".
>
> Chris
>
> Christopher C. Grinter
> Senior Collection Manager of Entomology
> Secretary, The Lepidopterists’ Society
> Subject Editor: Lepidoptera, The Pacific Coast Entomological Society
> California Academy of Sciences
> 55 Music Concourse Dr
> San Francisco, CA 94118
> T 415.379.5320
> We regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and
> collaboration.
> Learn more at calacademy.org <http://www.calacademy.org/>
> <https://www.instagram.com/calacademy/>
>
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