News / US 'de minimis' rises its head again as shipments hit a billion a year

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When a helicopter has been broken down and shipped in parts under the US de minimis threshold, you know you’ve got a problem. 

The US CBP revealed in its Frontline magazine this weekend that last year a disassembled helicopter arrived in Fort Lauderdale from Venezuela in 21 crates, labelled “personal effects”.  

De minimis shipments, under which no duties are due on shipment values of under $800, account for 92% of all cargo entering the US, said the CBP. Some 4m de ...