26-0626: Friday's "Export/Import Daily Bugle"

1. Today's Federal Register (No relevant items.)

2. Future Federal Register (No relevant items.)

3. CBP Cargo Systems Messages

(Source: DHS/CBP/CSMS)

4. Commerce/BIS (Nothing new.)

(Source: Commerce/BIS)

5. Justice: "Manager of U.S. Freight Forwarding Company Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Circumventing Export Controls"

(Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York, 24 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

On June 24, in federal court in Brooklyn, Natalya Ivanovna Mazulina, also known as "Natasha Mazulina," a resident of Federal Way, Washington, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for crafting a scheme to circumvent U.S. export laws related to Russia. Mazulina was the Western Regional Manager of Delex Air Cargo LLC, a freight forwarding company based in Jamaica, New York, which operated out of John F. Kennedy International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Mazulina was arrested in December 2024 and, in October 2025, pled guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act. As part of her sentence, Mazulina was ordered to forfeit $77,000 in criminal proceeds. . . .

As described in court filings, from at least December 2022 through December 2024, Mazulina conspired with Russian freight forwarding companies and others to unlawfully ship controlled items, including industrial oil and gas equipment, from the United States to Russia, through intermediary countries.

At one point, in June 2023, Mazulina told colleagues that her clients were paying through bank accounts in third party countries because "[m]ost of [her] clients [were] currently sanctioned with USA." Mazulina attempted to conceal the unlawful scheme by submitting and causing the submission of false export documents to the U.S. government, which omitted the information that the goods were destined for Russia. . . . [More]

6. State/DDTC: "Fraudulent DTCC Communications"

(Source: State/DDTC, 26 Jun 2026)

The Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has become aware of certain companies receiving fraudulent communications purporting to be directed disclosures from the Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance (DTCC).

The fraudulent communications in question are not from DTCC, and these fraudulent communications have been referred to the relevant law enforcement authorities.

If you believe that you may have received such fraudulent communications, do not respond or click on any hyperlinks or attachments without first reaching out to DTCC at [email protected] to confirm the authenticity of the correspondence.

7. Treasury/OFAC Updates Sudan-related Designations in SDN List

(Source: Treasury/OFAC, 26 Jun 2026)

The SDN list has recently been updated. Visit this page to access the latest version of the SDN list. Check this page periodically as it may also be updated if a new list-related format or product is offered. Visit this link for more information on today's update.

8. Treasury/OFAC Issues Venezuela-related General License

(Source: Treasury/OFAC, 26 Jun 2026)

The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issuing Venezuela-related General License 60, "Authorizing Transactions Related to Earthquake Relief Efforts in Venezuela." For more information on this specific action, visit this page.

9. Treasury/OFAC Updates List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons; Issues Amended Russia-related General License and FAQs

(Source: Treasury/OFAC, 25 Jun 2026)

The United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issuing Russia-related General License 131G, "Authorizing Certain Transactions for the Negotiation of and Entry Into Contingent Contracts for the Sale of Lukoil International GmbH and Related Maintenance Activities."

Additionally, OFAC has updated two Russia-related Frequently Asked Questions, FAQs 1224 and 1225.

Lastly, OFAC has updated its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. Visit this page to access the latest version of the SDN list. Check this page periodically as it may also be updated if a new list-related format or product is offered. Visit this link for more information.

10. US Trade Representative: "The United States and Uzbekistan Announce Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment"

(Source: USTR Press Office, 25 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

As part of the visit of Ambassador Jamieson Greer to Uzbekistan, the United States and Uzbekistan have agreed to an early harvest of trade commitments to strengthen the bilateral economic and investment relationship and ensure reciprocity, balance, and resilience in bilateral trade. Both countries also agreed to accelerate talks towards the swift conclusion of an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment. These announcements build on meetings between President Donald J. Trump and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2025, and reaffirm both countries' longstanding commitment to strengthening their strategic and economic partnership. . . . [More]

11. Diaz: "What Happened This Month in International Trade (June 2026)"

(Source: Customs & International Trade Law Blog, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

Administration

Courts

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

United States Trade Representative (USTR)

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC): . . .

U.S. Department of State

Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Congress

12. ECD: "DDTC Working on Export Control Rule for USML Categories IV, XV"

(Source: Export Compliance Daily, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of subscription site.]

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is working on a new interim final rule that could make changes to U.S. Munitions List Categories IV and XV in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

DDTC said the change would amend controls related to launch vehicles, ballistic missiles and other items in Category IV and spacecraft and related items in Category XV to "describe more precisely the articles warranting control on the USML." The agency sent the rule to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on June 24.

The rule could build on another proposed by DDTC in 2024 that outlined possible changes and clarifications to a range of items listed in USML Categories IV and XV, including exports of certain man-portable air defense systems, anti-tank missiles, propulsion systems and more. …

13. ECD: "UK Expands Country Scope for Dual-Use Export General License"

(Source: Export Compliance Daily, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of subscription site.]

The U.K. Export Control Joint Unit published a new open general license this week that it said will cover shipments of dual-use goods to a broader list of trusted trading partners. The license scope covers destinations included in previous general licenses -- such as EU member states, the U.S., Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Canada -- but now also permits exports to South Korea, Singapore, Chile, Uruguay and British Overseas Territories.

The license will make it easier for U.K. exporters to ship to a longer list of allies without having to apply for a specific license, the agency said. Importers in those allied countries will also see "reduced delays and less administrative burden" when buying British dual-use goods.

The U.K. decided to include the additional countries after carrying out a "data-led review of historic licensing decisions, which shows that these exports are consistently approved and present low risk." It said the new license will save U.K. exporters from needing to apply for a total of more than 500 licenses each year. More countries may be added in the future, the U.K. said. . . . [More]

14. Expeditors News: "Canada Introduces Surtax on Certain Canned Vegetable Goods"

(Source: Expeditors News, 25 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

In a Customs Notice published on June 19, 2026, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the introduction of a provisional safeguard measure in the form of a 10% surtax on certain canned vegetable goods imported into Canada.

This safeguard measure is intended to "address the injury to domestic producers caused by import increases of certain canned vegetable goods." The surtax will apply for a period of up to 200 days while the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) reviews whether final safeguard measures are warranted. CBSA's Customs Notice 26-14 and an appendix of affected classifications can be found HERE.

15. ST&R Trade Report: "IEEPA Tariff Refunds: Update on CAPE and Litigation Processes"

(Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]. Contact: [email protected], 1-305-894-1035

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is continuing to use and expand its CAPE process for refunding tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and has recently made a correction that should enable more importers to receive refunds. At the same time, developments in the related litigation are increasing the chances that importers whose entries are not, or not yet, eligible for refunds under CAPE will have to file their own suits to secure refunds.

CAPE Error Messages. CBP has recently removed a validation issue that resulted in CAPE tariff refund claim rejections indicated as "GOODS VALUE AMOUNT MUST BE REPORTED ON THE CH 1-97." Importers had been receiving this error despite there being no such error in the rejected entries. Eligible entries that received this error can now be refiled in CAPE for processing.

CBP has also replaced the "HTS Sequence" error message with "HTS Relationship Mismatch," which CBP said means "an HTS code designated as an add/replace/derived HTS code exists on the entry, but the corresponding HTS code has not been provided." Entries rejected for this reason may require corrections prior to refiling in CAPE, but if no errors are identified, importers may attempt to refile and should notify CBP if the errors persist and do not align with identifiable issues in the entry. . . .

[More]

16. Baker/McKenzie: "EU introduces EUR 3 customs duty on low-value imports from 1 July 2026"

(Source: Global Sanctions and Export Controls Blog, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

On 1 July 2026, the EU will begin levying a flat customs duty of EUR 3 on goods contained in consignments valued at EUR 150 or less entering the EU. The measures outlined in this blog are set out in Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382, as well as in the updated UCC-IA and UCC-DA. They remove the long-standing customs duty exemption for low-value imports and marks the first concrete step in the EU's broader customs reform agenda.

The customs duty is an interim measure that will remain in place until July 2028, pending the implementation of a permanent regime under which standard EU customs tariff rates will apply to all imports regardless of value.

Background. The customs duty relief for low-value consignments was originally designed for a pre-digital trade environment. While the corresponding VAT exemption was already eliminated in 2021 with the introduction of the Import One-Stop Shop ("IOSS"), the customs duty relief remained in place.

The rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce has made the continued application of this threshold increasingly untenable. An estimated 5.9 billion low-value items entered the EU in 2025, placing significant pressure on customs systems. Key concerns driving the reform include distortions of competition between EU and non-EU sellers, widespread fraud and undervaluation practices (including shipment splitting), health and safety risks for consumers, and capacity constraints for customs authorities managing high-volume parcel flows.

Key Features of the EUR 3 Customs Duty: . . . [More]

17. ECD: "US-Anthropic Saga Leaves American AI Industry Frozen, Former Official Says"

(Source: Export Compliance Daily, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts of subscription site]

The Trump administration's restrictions on Anthropic's AI models could push AI users around the world to instead use Chinese models, and it may even cause American AI firms to hold off on releasing new models that they fear could be restricted, former U.S. officials said.

Daniel Remler, a senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, said at its event this week that his "sense is the entire industry is kind of frozen in place, waiting for [an AI regulatory policy] that seems more coherent." …

The export control order against Anthropic is an especially "significant event" for the administration's AI export program, said Saif Khan, a distinguished technology fellow with the Institute for Progress and former director for technology and national security for the National Security Council during the Biden administration. That program is aimed at boosting U.S. exports of AI technologies and services, including American AI models, which Khan suggested doesn't align with the Anthropic order. … [More]

18. Greg Hill: "Warning: New Spoof Emails Posing as Coming from Commerce/OEE"

(Source: Greg Hill, DRS)

Just got a note from our cyber security team regarding a warning notice they received about a new spoof email posing as the Commerce Department/Office of Export Enforcement regarding potential EAR export violations. As with any email, don't automatically assume it's legit. Recommend that if you get one, check with your cyber security team first.

19. ST&R Trade Report: "Import Ban on Connected Vehicles Narrowed with General Authorizations"

(Source: Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report, 26 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]. Contact: [email protected], 1-305-894-1035

The Bureau of Industry and Security has so far issued three general authorizations allowing importers to engage in certain transactions otherwise prohibited by a January 2025 final rule banning the importation of certain connected vehicles. The rule:

These prohibitions will apply when such VCS hardware or covered software is designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of China or Russia.

The rule also prohibits connected vehicle manufacturers who are persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of China or Russia from knowingly selling in the U.S. completed connected vehicles that incorporate VCS hardware or covered software. [More]

20. Tuttle Law: "Certain Entries Subject to Reconciliation Eligible for Filing CAPE Declaration Starting June 29, 2026"

(Source: Tuttle Law, 25 Jun 2026) [Excerpts]

In CSMS # 69035485 (sent June 23, 2026) CBP published an update on the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) for IEEPA refunds. As of June 29, 2026, a new functionality will be available in CAPE that provides for the acceptance of entries flagged for reconciliation with no reconciliation entry on file.

Effective June 29, 2026, CAPE will accept entries flagged for reconciliation (entry types 01, 02, 06) for which the reconciliation entry (entry type 09) has not been filed. All filing and processing requirements from the first phase of CAPE remain in effect, and the entries flagged for reconciliation will be limited to unliquidated entries and entries within 80 days of liquidation as in CAPE Phase 1.

After the entries flagged for reconciliation are accepted on a CAPE declaration, the trade may file the reconciliation entry. The CAPE process removes the IEEPA duties from the flagged entries prior to the filing of the reconciliation entry, separating the IEEPA duty refund from the calculations on the reconciliation entry. Once the reconciliation entry is filed, CBP will assume that all the CAPE declarations associated with the reconciled entries were filed and accepted. After a reconciliation entry is filed, the underlying entries will not be eligible to be filed on a CAPE declaration in this phase.

Entries flagged for reconciliation and with a reconciliation entry already on file are not included in this phase of CAPE deployment. It is important to note that CAPE does not preclude filing a reconciliation entry for entries subject to reconciliation. Importers should prioritize filing the reconciliation entry for entries that are subject to reconciliation and with a reconciliation filing date less than 30 days in the future.

CBP advises that entries flagged for reconciliation with a reconciliation entry already on file will be included in a future phase of CAPE development.

21. ACI Presents: ACI's "Trade Compliance Tech" July 22-23 in Wash DC

(Source: Shannon Kao, ACI)

22. List of Export/Import Job Openings

(Source: Editor)

RECENT:

FULL LIST:

23. Bartlett's Unfamiliar Quotations

(Source: Brainy Quotes)

Lord Kelvin (William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin; 26 Jun 1824 – 17 Dec 1907; was a Scottish mathematical physicist and engineer. He did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging discipline of physics in its modern form. Absolute temperatures are stated in units of kelvin in his honor.)

Pearl S. Buck (Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck; 26 Jun 1892 – 6 Mar 1973; was an American writer and humanitarian. She is best known for The Good Earth, the best-selling novel in the United States in 1931 and 1932, which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China" and for her "masterpieces", two memoir-biographies of her missionary parents.)

Helen Keller (Helen Adams Keller; 27 Jun 1880 – 1 Jun 1968; was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. She lost her sight and her hearing before the age of two. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven, when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deaf/blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.)

Friday Funnies:

24. Today in History

(Source: History Channel)

1945: United Nations Charter signed. Representatives from 50 countries signed the UN Charter in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, creating the United Nations to promote peace and cooperation after World War II.

1974: First UPC barcode scan used. On June 26, 1974, at 8:01 a.m. the world's first retail barcode scan took place at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. A cashier scanned a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum, officially launching the Universal Product Code (UPC) into commercial history.

25. Do You Need to Update Your Daily Bugle Profile?

(Source: Editor)

Don't miss an issue of the Daily Bugle if you change your email. Click here to manage your profile.

26. Are Your Copies of Export/Import Regulations Current?

(Source: Editor)

The official versions of the following regulations are published annually in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) but are updated as amended in the Federal Register. The latest amendments are listed below.