AEC applauds Department of Justice Action on Extrusion Duty-evasion Scheme

(Wauconda, Illinois; June 25, 2013) -- The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) applauds the U.S. Department of Justice for the recent arrest and indictment of five individuals and three companies for conspiring to smuggle Chinese aluminum extrusions into the United States in order to defraud the U.S. of approximately $26.7 million in antidumping and countervailing duties.

"It is extremely gratifying to see the U.S. Department of Justice take action against those seeking to illegally bypass the import duties on Chinese aluminum extrusions," noted AEC president Rand Baldwin in commenting on Friday's announcement of the indictment and arrest of five individuals by Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) agents in Puerto Rico.

Baldwin added: "North American extruders have expended a great deal of effort and expense in their quest to establish a level playing field in the U.S. and Canadian extrusion markets. Those efforts paid off when the Commerce Department determined that Chinese extrusions were being illegally subsidized and dumped, and imposed both antidumping and countervailing duties in 2010. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to circumvent those duties - in this case by allegedly transshipping the extrusions via Malaysia and creating false invoices to disguise their Chinese origin."

"As AEC and its members have learned of this and similar circumvention schemes, we have found a willing ear at the Justice Department. It is clear that the U.S. Government takes trade actions seriously, and we applaud their diligence in this case."

About AEC
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) is an international trade association dedicated to advancing the effective use of aluminum extrusion in North America. AEC is committed to bringing comprehensive information about extrusion's characteristics, applications, environmental benefits, design and technology to users, product designers, engineers and the academic community. Further, AEC is focused on enhancing the ability of its members to meet the emerging demands of the market through sharing knowledge and best practices.

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For more information please contact:

Nancy Molenda, Communications Manager
nmolenda@tso.net

847/526-2010 x227