U.S. building-products giant Boise Cascade pleaded guilty to federal charges for orchestrating a plywood smuggling scheme involving Chinese-made panels. Federal agents raided a South Florida warehouse in 2021, seizing illegally imported birch plywood intended to evade tariffs. The operation linked the company’s Pompano Beach branch to Horizon Plywood, a couple-owned importer who fled the U.S. after the investigation began.

Prosecutors allege Boise Cascade placed $30 million in orders for the contraband material, which was used in cabinetry and home fixtures.