$142K in Chinese Plywood Seized at Port of Baltimore

BALTIMORE, MD, September 18, 2026—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Baltimore seized more than 8,500 sheets of Chinese plywood valued at $142,372 after determining the merchandise had been transshipped through Indonesia in an effort to evade U.S. duties.

CBP initially detained the shipment July 9 after it arrived from Indonesia. Import documents identified the product as falcata plywood of Indonesian origin with a declared value of nearly $19,000 and listed an address near Denver, Colorado, as its destination.

An investigation found that the identity used for the importer of record had been used fraudulently and that the shipment’s commercial invoice had been altered, according to CBP. Investigators also determined that the plywood originated in China rather than Indonesia.

Chinese plywood is subject to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties. CBP seized the shipment Aug. 27 for violations related to smuggling or clandestinely introducing merchandise into the U.S.

The investigation remains ongoing.