Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been fined £65,000 ($84,000) by a London court after being convicted of breaching rules on shipping unsafe goods by air.
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Southwark Crown Court today found that three batteries, a small can of Dove deodorant and a Tresemme hair mouse were sent by Amazon in four shipments destined within and outside the United Kingdom in the past three years.
The judge added that he had to take into account the “massive resources of the company”.
The prosecution for the risky goods found in Amazon UK Services Ltd shipments was brought by the CAA under the Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations 2002.
According to the BBC, Amazon attempted the shipments between January 2014 and June 2015, but was caught out after the Royal Mail screened the cargo before they could make it to the airplane.
Amazon UK Services – the subsidiary that was the subject of the prosecution – had turnover of just under £1bn in 2015, and made a profit of £38m.
Amazon have been fined a paltry £65,000 with £60,000 costs by Southwark Crown Court for sending prohibited items such as aerosols and lithium batteries by plane.
They initially faced 11 counts, but were cleared of one charge and six will stay on file after a jury failed to reach a verdict.
After the hearing, the CAA’s general counsel Kate Staples said: “The safety of aviation and the public is paramount and that’s why there are important global and domestic restrictions to prohibit the shipping of certain goods that pose a flight safety risk”.
“Amazon knew from early 2013, if not before, that lithium batteries on their own were causing a problem”.
“The safety of aviation and the public is paramount and we will continue to work closely with retailers and online traders to ensure they understand the regulations and have robust processes in place so their items can be shipped safely”.
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Amazon issued a statement saying: “The safety of the public, our customers, employees and partners is an absolute priority”.
