The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited Frutera Del Litoral USA LLC, operating out of Miami, for failure to pay for produce.

The company failed to pay $698,992 to five sellers for produce that was purchased, received and accepted in interstate commerce from September 2015 through March 2016. This is in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. As a result of these actions, Frutera Del Litoral USA LLC is prohibited from operating in the produce industry until Nov. 2, 2020, and then only after they apply for and are issued a new PACA license by USDA.

The company’s principals, Francisco Dabike Armstrong, Diana Carolina Lascano Lozada and Carlos Mauricio Rueda Mesias, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until Nov. 2, 2019, and then only with the posting of a USDA approved surety bond.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million.