WCO Members join together to fight imports of substandard and counterfeit electrical products

Brussels, 24 October 2011

Press Release

Forty-three WCO Member Customs administrations joined in an operational effort to fight imports of substandard and counterfeit electrical products in “Operation Short Circuit” which began in July and concluded in September 2011.

Initiated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Operation was facilitated by the WCO CENcomm platform; a unique tool for Customs administrations to rapidly share information and intelligence spontaneously with their partners across the globe.

Worldwide, 388 shipments were seized within the operational period, resulting in the seizure of the following substandard and/or counterfeit commodities: 4.760 boxes of holiday lights; 359 boxes of surge protectors; 3.736 boxes of extension cords; 791.936 individual batteries; 17.873 boxes of batteries; 41.621 power supplies; 34.050 power adaptors; and 115.231 chargers.

Apart from seizures, Operation Short Circuit generated important intelligence on companies involved in the production and trade in such products, which in many cases are dangerous to public health and safety as insulation is too thin or batteries do not contain proper ventilation mechanisms that could cause them to explode.

“Operation Short Circuit provided an ideal opportunity for increased cooperation between Customs administrations and other national authorities in charge of consumer product safety,” said Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya. “The fruits of this cooperation are reflected in the large number of seizures of dangerous products that could otherwise have ended up on the market,” Mikuriya added.

The WCO Secretariat supports such international initiatives as they clearly demonstrate the important role Customs plays in protecting consumers, in fighting organized crime structures involved in the production of dangerous counterfeit products, and in securing jobs in the legal trade.