A federal court has ordered a Lehigh Valley company to pay $1.3 million in criminal and civil penalties for losing track of shipments of a chemical used to make methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A Lehigh Valley company must pay $1.3 million in criminal and civil penalties for losing shipments of monomethylamine, an ingredient for methamphetamine. (NJ Advance Media file photo)
Taminco Inc. in Upper Macungie Township pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay the fines on Friday in Philadelphia, the federal government said in a news release.
The company agreed to the penalties in October and will pay a criminal fine of $860,374 and a civil fine of $475,000.
In 2010, Taminco shipped six loads of about 37,000 pounds each of monomethylamine to two different customers in Mexico without first obtaining required identification, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. In 2011 and 2012, barrels of the meth-making ingredient were found at various locations in Arizona.
The civil settlement resolves government claims that the company authorized 19 shipments of the compound without proper verification of the foreign business recipients in 2010, the U.S. Attroney said. Taminco also could not verify reached their intended recipient and failed to report that to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Under the settlement, the company will be subjected to stricter manufacture, sale and shipment requirements.
Eastman Chemical Co. acquired Taminco late last year. In a statement when the fines were announced, Eastman noted the shipments took place years before the company bought Taminco but it cooperated fully with investigators.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.