A large package of popular Nike shoes, which turned out to be counterfeits, has been seized by US Customs and Border Protection officers.
Complex reports 14,806 pairs of fake Nike shoes showed up at the security check – had the shoes been genuine, they would have been worth more than $2 million.
The shoes landed at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport from China in containers marked as “napkins.” However, inside the containers were shoes made to look like retro Jordans and Nike x Off-White collaborative Jordan sneakers.
Specifically, agents uncovered the Air Jordan 1 Off-White; retro Air Jordan 12; Air Jordan 1 in blue, black, red and white; Air Jordan 11 and Air Max ’97. According to the publication, these specific shoes have been found to resell for up to $2000, if legitimate.
Customs and Border Protection said consumers are likely to see fake Nikes online, giving caution to those in the market for some of the most popular shoes of the year.
“Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multi-million dollar criminal industry,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP port director of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, said in a news release. “The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products.”
ccording to Customs and Border Patrol, the trade-in illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities and often funds criminal enterprises.
