Nearly $290K in counterfeit Apple products shipped from China seized at Dulles
Nearly $290,000 in AirPods and Apple Watch knockoffs shipped from China to Washington Dulles International Airport were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers last month.
CBP officers inspected four Fairfax County-bound shipments, which collectively consisted of 1,000 Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and 50 Apple Watches, on March 15. Officers suspected that the products may be counterfeit and detained them for further investigation.
CBP officers submitted documentation and photographs on March 16 to CBP’s trade experts. On March 21, the experts verified the Apple products as counterfeits and appraised the products at $289,550 manufacturer’s suggested retail price, had they been genuine.
CBP officers seized the counterfeit Apple products on March 29. No one has been criminally charged.
"Unscrupulous manufacturers and vendors illegally profit on the sale of substandard counterfeit products at the expense and safety of American consumers," said Christine Waugh, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. "Customs and Border Protection urges consumers to protect their health and wallets by buying authentic consumer goods from reputable or authorized vendors."
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CBP says the international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal as it steals revenues from trademark holders, steals tax revenues from the government, funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers.
Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.
In 2022, CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents seized nearly 21,000 shipments containing goods that violated IPR, which equates to nearly 25 million counterfeit goods.
The total estimated MSRP of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was over $2.98 billion (USD), or an average of over $8 million every day.