see also: in November 2002:   Manhattan Bank Pleads Guilty to U.S. Criminal Charges for Failure to Report $123 Million in Suspicious Cash Deposits   Customs Seizes 158 Tons of Narcotics During Fiscal Year 2002   Customs and DOT Launch 'Operation Safe Commerce' Program   U.S. Customs Commissioner Comments on Congressional Approval of a New Department of Homeland Security   U.S. Customs Seizes Marijuana in Tractor Tires;   U.S. Customs Shares Seized Drug Money with State and Local Police and Canadian Law Enforcement ...more

contacts for this news release

Washington, DC - U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Robert C. Bonner is hosting Customs Trade Symposium 2002 to a sell out crowd that includes more than 500 participants from the international trade community from as far away as South Africa. Attendees also include government representatives from Australia, Canada, France, and Japan.

The symposium will focus on Customs efforts to protect the American people and international commerce from terrorists while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade. "The threat from international terrorists remains, and we must continue to work together to protect the global system of trade. Our goal is to not only detect and deter terrorists, but also to improve the efficient movement of legitimate trade," said Bonner.

Trade Symposium 2002 will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C. The symposium will be in session from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Amphitheater on November 21 and from 8:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Atrium Ballroom on November 22.

Former Governor James Gilmore, Commonwealth of Virginia, will deliver a luncheon address. Currently, Gilmore chairs the Congressional Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, a national panel established by Congress in 1999 to assess federal, state, and local governments' capability to respond to the consequences of a terrorist attack.

The event will include discussions between senior Customs managers and representatives of the trade community on Customs Modernization efforts, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Customs Container Security Initiative, Importer Self-Assessment Program, current trade legislation, and Customs 24-hour advance manifest regulation.

Please visit the U.S. Customs Web site at http://www.customs.gov/trade2002/index.htm for a detailed agenda of Customs Trade Symposium 2002.