Gibson HQ raided again

Iconic guitar maker’s offices in Nashville and Memphis shut down by federal agents for the second time in two years

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Gibson Guitar Corporation’s headquarters in Tennessee have been raided by government officials for the second time in two years.
The company’s head office and a factory in Nashville, plus another factory in Memphis, were shut down by officers of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Customs and Border Protection.
The reason behind the raids has not been confirmed. Special Agent Nicholas Chavez says: “The operation stems from a Texas case. We can’t get into specifics right now because this is an ongoing investigation.
“No arrests have been made.”
Federal agents were seen to remove quantities of unidentified items from the Memphis factory.
Gibson was the subject of similar raids in 2009 after the company was suspected of importing wood banned by law because the trees from which it comes is an endangered species.
The firm has recently been trying to establish new methods of working with loggers after chief exec Henry Juszkiewic said: “The true wood guitar is going to disappear very quickly. It just won’t be around in ten years.”