U.S. border agency publishes results of 2004 activity

U.S. border agency publishes results of 2004 activity

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection provided statistics for its fiscal 2004 ending Sept. 30, that indicate what a daunting job the agency has protecting thousands of miles of border while processing people and cargo at 317 ports of entry.

   Last year, CBP cleared 23.5 million ocean, truck and rail containers entering the United States, up 5 percent from 2003. The agency processed more than 30 million customs entries and conducted more than 3 million document reviews. CBP agriculture specialists inspected nearly 1 million conveyances and conducted almost 5 million cargo inspection, an increase of 16 percent over the previous year.

   The agency processed and cleared 428 million travelers.

   Enforcement activities resulted in 2,722 merchandise seizures valued at nearly $242 million and 7,250 seizures of counterfeit goods valued at $130 million. CBP said it made 60 percent more intellectual property crime arrests during the first half of the year, but gave no actual figures or explanation for why the results didn’t cover the entire year.

   CBP officers at ports of entry made 47,744 seizures, weighing 844,222 pounds and worth an estimated $1 billion, intercepted 566 stowaways and apprehended 399 travelers for terrorism/national security concerns.