US authorities uncovered a scheme to evade $180m in anti-dumping duties on Chinese honey, in an operation that led to charges against five individuals and two domestic companies.

According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security’s investigations unit, the Chinese honey was in some instances smuggled into the US as products such as juice, syrup and sweeteners. In other cases it was shipped through other countries and labelled with another country of origin to escape the higher duties on honey from China.

The ring – which was busted by federal officials with the help of an undercover agent – included two of the country’s largest honey suppliers, Honey Solutions, of Texas, and Groeb Farms, of Michigan, who agreed to pay respectively $1m and $2m in fines under a deferred prosecution agreement with the government.