Last month, leading up to Super Bowl LIX, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati seized 85 shipments containing over 4,000 pieces of counterfeit sports merchandise and memorabilia.
If the merchandise—primarily from China and Hong Kong—had been genuine, its Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been over $1.43 million.
During the week of January 27, officers inspected packages during an operation focusing on counterfeit sports merchandise and memorabilia such as jerseys, hats, coins, jewellery, footwear, and bags.
Among the 85 shipments seized, 30 held counterfeit NFL, MLB and MLS jerseys with an astounding total value of $232,000 had the goods been genuine. These packages contained merchandise that infringed on the protected trademarks of professional sports teams such as Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Al-Nassr FC, Atlanta Braves, and Seattle Mariners, to name a few.
“I’m extremely proud of our officers’ determination in stopping illicit shipments and our commitment to protecting the American economy,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, the director of field operations of the Chicago Field Office. “Shipments like these prey on the many sports fans across the nation who may be tricked into paying high prices for these inferior products.”
One of the shipments discovered by officers contained 156 NFL Baltimore Ravens jerseys en route to a residence in Jensen Beach, Florida. Officers determined the jerseys to be counterfeit based on several factors, including the routing, cheap materials used, lack of fine details, and packaging. Had the jerseys been authentic, the MSRP would have been over $27,000.
Another shipment that held 80 NFL Las Vegas Raiders memorabilia coins was intercepted. The coins were destined for a residence located in Eglin AFB, Florida. If the counterfeit coins came from Hong Kong— had they been genuine, their MSRP would have been $3,200.
All the merchandise seized were determined to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
“CBP promotes fair and compliant trade,” said Cincinnati Port Director Eric Zizelman. “Buying these dupes not only supports criminal organizations but defrauds legitimate American businesses. Our officers here in Cincinnati work 24 hours a day detecting and intercepting threats on American consumers.”
CBP provides basic import information about admissibility requirements and the clearance process for e-commerce goods and encourages buyers to confirm that their purchases and the importation of those purchases comply with state and federal import regulations.
The dangers of buying counterfeit products aren’t always obvious to consumers. Particularly, when shopping online, beware of counterfeit goods. Fake goods can lead to real dangers. For more information, visit The Truth Behind Counterfeits page.
Suspected intellectual property rights violations, fraud, or illegal trade activity can be reported by contacting CBP through the e-Allegations Online Trade Violations Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT. Violations can also be reported to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center or by telephone at 1-866-IPR-2060.
