Washington: China and Iran Prime Targets of Bureau of Industry and Security
China and Iran are the top importers of illicit U.S. goods, according to a report from the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Under the authority of the Commerce Department, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) works to control exports of goods that have a bearing on national security in areas such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the breaching of embargoes on sensitive technology transfers and exports of dual technology goods with military applications.
The BIS' enforcement agency, the Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) hunts down companies and people who flout American legislation on exports. Working in nine different investigative offices throughout the U.S., the OEE’s special agents have powers to arrest suspects and impound goods. They conduct most of their investigations in close conjunction with the FBI and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement section of the customs service. OEE also has a network of agents who work in U.S. embassies in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Moscow and Abu Dhabi. Their main job is to verify how exported dual technology goods are used.
OEE has just published the latest report on its activities that list the main cases investigated during the 2005 fiscal year (see graph below). Its inquiries led to 30 convictions for criminal acts liable to ten years in jail and fines of $1 million. Most of the convictions involved exports of goods to China and Iran. The transactions were mostly carried out through small American firms supplying a specific component of a system and were sent via third countries (Greece, Malta or the United Arab Emirates) and re-exported.
Under the authority of the Commerce Department, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) works to control exports of goods that have a bearing on national security in areas such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the breaching of embargoes on sensitive technology transfers and exports of dual technology goods with military applications.
The BIS' enforcement agency, the Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) hunts down companies and people who flout American legislation on exports. Working in nine different investigative offices throughout the U.S., the OEE’s special agents have powers to arrest suspects and impound goods. They conduct most of their investigations in close conjunction with the FBI and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement section of the customs service. OEE also has a network of agents who work in U.S. embassies in Beijing, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Moscow and Abu Dhabi. Their main job is to verify how exported dual technology goods are used.
OEE has just published the latest report on its activities that list the main cases investigated during the 2005 fiscal year (see graph below). Its inquiries led to 30 convictions for criminal acts liable to ten years in jail and fines of $1 million. Most of the convictions involved exports of goods to China and Iran. The transactions were mostly carried out through small American firms supplying a specific component of a system and were sent via third countries (Greece, Malta or the United Arab Emirates) and re-exported.
posted by Marko at 6/09/2006 12:43:00 AM
<< Home