CBP seizes 52,000 gun parts at LA port worth $378,000

Aug. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it has seized more than 52,000 firearms parts from China, worth more than $378,000, at a port in Southern California.

CBP, which made the bust with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise, said the weapons found in three shipments at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport violate the Chinese Arms Embargo.

CBP representative Jaime Ruiz said the gun parts were being shipped to a "legitimate gun-parts seller and distributor." The items seized included sights, stocks, muzzles, brakes, buffer kits and grips, authorities said.

"This seizure is an exceptional example of CBP officers and import specialists vigilance, commitment and keen focus in enforcing complex arms embargo regulations," Carlos C. Martel, CBP's director of field operations in Los Angeles, said in a statement. "The Chinese Arms Embargo is just one of the hundreds of regulations CBP enforces, ensuring the safety and security of our country."

CBP said in fiscal 2018, it seized 266,000 firearms, parts, ammunition, fireworks and explosives at 328 ports of entry in the United States -- an increase of more than 18 percent over 2017.

"We work closely with our strategic partners to ensure import compliance while maintaining the highest standards of security a tour nation's largest seaport," said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP director at the Seaport. "This interception underscores the successful collaboration between CBP officers, import specialists and ATF investigators."