Investigations

On February 27, 2019, Jianguo Zhong, owner of Zhong Supply LLC, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Orlando, Florida, to 6 months’ probation and a $5,000 fine for illegally introducing a misbranded hazardous material (hazmat) into interstate commerce. Zhong pleaded guilty on October 26, 2018.

 

The investigation revealed that Zhong offered a large quantity of Coppertone aerosol spray bottles, a hazardous material, to a third-party freight forwarder for shipment to China. United Parcel Service (UPS) identified the shipment as undeclared dangerous goods, rejected it, and returned it to Zhong. He then repackaged the material, labeled it as lotion and lip balm, and enclosed it in containers covered with black shrink wrap to disguise the actual contents—a violation of hazmat shipping regulations.

 

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with DHS-HSI and FAA.