The mission of the Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program is to detect and prevent the unlawful entry and distribution of prohibited and/or non-compliant products that may harbor exotic plant and animal pests, diseases or invasive species.
In the mid 1990s, Asian fruit growers from the Homestead, Florida area complained to the PPQ Deputy Administrator about illegally imported specialty crops from Thailand flooding the New York markets.
PPQ and APHIS Investigative and Enforcement Services (IES) formed a team that determined the prohibited items from Thailand were being smuggled through the Canada–US border in enormous quantities.
With new positions and a growing challenge, PPQ established two additional satellite programs: Closing the Los Angeles Marketplace Pathway (CLAMP) and Florida Interdiction and Smuggling Team (FIST).
State and Federal officials in the CLAMP program were tasked to detect smuggled fruit-fly host material and close the pathway of that harmful pest.
SITC officers and analysts are experts in developing commercial targeting information, examining trends in international trade, identifying contraband in commerce, and at the consumer level.
SITC staff also works closely with Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Ports of Entry to interdict smuggled products.
Through partnerships with other agencies, SITC has provided other Federal and State officials with information leading to agriculture seizures, halted sales of food products, criminal prosecutions and administrative violation processes.