Gibson Raided by US Federal Agents Again!

It seems Gibson can’t catch a break when it comes to the Authorities and the tone woods they source overseas.

On Wednesday morning Tennessee time, two Gibson factories were once again raided with loads of wood seized, in addition to some guitars and computer records.

The raid by the agents from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement resulted in the factories being shut down for the day and Gibson employees being sent home.

I’m all in favor of the authorities protecting endangered wood species, particularly those coming from poorer regions of the world where the temptation to cut down protected trees is so strong. But this time, if Gibson’s response is to be believed, it would seem things are getting out of hand.

In essence, Gibson are saying that the wood they are accused of sourcing improperly from India, does not violate any US Law. But it gets weirder as they go on to say in their Media Release, that the wood is only illegal if it wasn’t finished by Indian workers – and that’s based upon the Justice Department’s interpretation of Indian Law.

Federal Agents would only say “We can’t get into specifics right now,” and “This is an ongoing investigation”, when questioned by reporters from The Tennessean Newspaper.

Gibson have had problems in the past with Federal Agents raiding them, seizing woods, and claiming that Gibson were in violation of the Lacey Act.

It’s worth noting that even though Gibson have been in the spotlight with US Authorities for two years now – no charges have been filed.

Maybe our Aprils Fools Joke this year is starting to look a lot more appealing to Gibson.

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