Common menu bar links
Prosecutions and Seizures
Pacific Region (including Yukon)
B.C. company fined $100,000 for submitting false invoices
Richmond, B.C., January 11, 2007 - The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that a grocery retailer was fined $100,000 for making false statements under the Customs Act regarding bird’s nests imported from China valued at over $1 million. Yue Wah Enterprises Ltd. pleaded guilty in the Richmond Provincial Court on December 18, 2006. In addition to the criminal fine, the company will also have to pay $260,000 in civil penalties to the CBSA.
Edible bird’s nests are an Asian delicacy. Made by a particular kind of swallow, these nests are expensive and very difficult to acquire because they are located in high, mountainous areas.
The CBSA initiated an investigation of Yue Wah Enterprises, a retailer of Chinese groceries based in Vancouver and Richmond, and executed search warrants at two business premises and one residence. CBSA investigators found that the company had two sets of invoices — one legitimate set and a lower-valued, false set. Their investigation determined that between 1998 and 2000, Yue Wah Enterprises imported 46 shipments of bird’s nests and declared their value as approximately $279,000. The legitimate invoices and accounting records confirmed their true value to be approximately $1.125 million. By undervaluing the bird’s nests, the company attempted to evade approximately $100,000 in duties and taxes.
The CBSA’s Investigations Division prosecutes those who deliberately attempt to evade CBSA regulations to ensure the marketplace is fair for all companies that import goods. The CBSA will continue to be vigilant in prosecuting those who purposely evade duties and taxes.
-30-
For media information:
