US: In less than two months, U.S. customs agents in Texas have busted two multimillion-dollar shipments of counterfeit goods from China.
After a three-day surveillance sting in mid-June, special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) seized 795 boxes labeled with fake shipping addresses in Laredo, Texas, according to a July 6 press release by the ICE.
On July 3, the customs agents tallied up what was inside the boxes—181,615 pieces of trademark-infringed merchandise, with an estimated street value of more than $42.9 million.
The seized goods included knockoffs of popular apparel brands such as Adidas, Calvin Klein, Nike, Under Armor, and Diesel; luxury designer brands like Chanel, Coach, Fendi, Gucci, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, and Yves St. Laurent; popular electronics and watch brands like Apple, Casio, Rolex, Samsung, Sony, and LG; and fake DC and Marvel Comics.
In May, ICE agents seized almost 79,000 fake goods valued at more than $16 million at the same port.