American Samoa § 27.1011 - Tampering prohibited.

§ 27.1011. Tampering prohibited.

(a) Any merchandise or goods of any and all description, for commercial or personal use, entering the Territory in crates, bundles, or any types of containers, may be sealed or ordered sealed by a customs officer pending inspection of the contents. (b) Any owner, authorized representative, or consignee of cargo, goods or merchandise of any and all description entering the Territory, shall not open any crate, bundle, container, or any space which has been sealed or ordered sealed by a customs officer. This order may be given orally, in writing, or by affixing a seal or locking device on the crate, bundle, container or space in question. (c) The customs division may authorize containers to be removed from official points of entry to other locations at the discretion of the chief customs officer prior to their inspection; however, the containers may not be opened until officially released by the customs division in writing. The breach of a customs seal without authorization by the customs division, the forcible opening of a locking device applied to a container by the customs division, or any other unauthorized tampering with cargo, goods or merchandise ordered sealed by a customs officer is a violation of these regulations. (d) If a customs locking device has been damaged, the owner of the contents of the sealed crate, container or space, or his authorized representative, shall be held liable for the repair or replacement of the locking device. In addition said owner may forfeit any future privilege to have any sealed crate, container or space removed from the port of entry before the same is opened and inspected by a customs officer. Where a container, space or sealed crate is required to remain at the port of entry due to prior seal breaking, owner of the same must bear the cost of having the merchandise counted there unloaded and loaded. In addition to the above, any violation of this section will subject the owner of a container whose seal has been broken to a penalty of up to $10,000.”