The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Wednesday its officers seized over 1,700 pairs of counterfeit Nike and Adidas shoes estimated to be worth $207,000 that had arrived at LAX via express air cargo from Hong Kong.
Approximately 597 pairs of Nike Air Force One shoes, as well as 918 pairs of other counterfeit Nike shoes, 48 pairs of Adidas Mickey Edition shoes, and 192 pairs of other counterfeit Adidas shoes, were seized, according to the agency.
If genuine, the seized merchandise would have had an estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price of $207,000, the agency said.
Customs and Border Protection import specialists with the agency's Apparel Center confirmed that the shoes were in violation of the Nike and Adidas registered trademarks, the agency said.
CBP officers assigned to LAX discovered the goods while conducting an enforcement check on a shipment of 22 boxes that arrived on July 3. The agency said that the shipment was listed as a "plastic ornament" in an attempt by smugglers to evade detection by authorities.
Counterfeit products are often sold in underground outlets and illegitimate websites and trick customers into believing they are buying an original product at a significant discount, according to Customs and Border Protection. CPB also said its officers seized approximately 27,599 shipments in 2019 containing goods that violated intellectual property rights and were estimated to have a total manufacturer's suggested retail price of nearly $1.5 billion.
The agency says watches and jewelry topped the list for numbers of seizures, with seizures valued at over $687 million. Wearing apparel and accessories came in second with an estimated value of more than $226 million.
U.S. & World
Fiscal year 2019 Intellectual Property Rights Statistics
Customs and Border Protection urges anyone who may suspect or have information on suspected fraud or illegal trade activity, to report it to e-Allegations Online Trade Violation Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT (232-5378).
