Los Angeles authorities seized $53 million worth of fraudulent designer products.
On July 19 and July 30, officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations worked together to seize a shipment of more than 39,000 fake designer products from China.
According to CBP, the items arrived at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport in two different cargos, reports FOX L.A.
In the cargo containers were counterfeits items that mocked big-name brands, including Nike Air Jordan, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, Burberry, and more. The products also had the brands’ logos on them to create a more realistic look.
Altogether the items could have been sold for a retail price of $53,745,802. “The size of these fraudulent shipments clearly demonstrates the greed and risks transnational criminal organizations are willing to take to increase their illicit profits,” Carlos C. Martel, Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, said in a statement.
The statement continued: “While these products historically have been sold on illegitimate websites and in underground outlets, the rise of e-commerce has offered a haven for criminals who are able to hide behind seemingly legitimate listings. The sale of counterfeit commodities multiplies the illegal profits of smugglers and traffickers who reinvest the proceeds from such sales into further criminal enterprises.”
