More China-U.S. trade friction: $1.34M worth of gas-powered engines seized in Twin Cities

Federal customs personnel in the Twin Cities intercepted more than $1 million worth of gas-powered engines that officials say were shipped illegally from China.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced last week that the seizure totaled 1,134 engines and occurred on Jan. 23.

Agency spokesman Steven Bansbach said Tuesday that the engines arrived in the Twin Cities by rail, then were moved to an inspection examination station in Minneapolis, where CBP seized them.

The agency said the engines, valued at $1.34 million, were heading to various businesses across the country.

The seizure was necessary, CBP said in its announcement, because the engines lacked “the proper documentation” to continue on their way. The engines have since been turned over to the federal Homeland Security Investigations.

LaFonda D. Sutton Burke, director of field operations for CBP in Chicago, said in a statement that CBP officers and import specialists “applied their keen knowledge and expertise to effectively target, identify and hold these suspicious shipments. ... CBP [is] a strong frontline of defense against faulty goods that can endanger the lives of innocent citizens.”

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff on goods shipped to the U.S. from China kicked in. In response, China announced retaliatory tariffs on select American imports.

Trump’s order on China says that country’s government provides a “safe haven” for criminal organizations to “launder the revenues from the production, shipment, and sale of illicit synthetic opioids.”

On Monday, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada as America’s two largest trading partners took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking.

This story contains material from the Associated Press.