Feds seize $2.2 million worth of fake Nike shoes at Southern California seaport
CBS News October 9, 2019
Thousands of counterfeit Nike shoes, worth an estimated $2.2 million, have been seized at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport, federal officials announced Wednesday. CBS Los Angeles said authorities found 14,806 pairs of shoes on a shipment arriving from China. Customs and Border Protection officers say they were mislabeled as “napkins” in an attempt to disguise the illicit cargo.
Import specialists and officials from Nike confirmed the shoes were in violation of the Air Jordan 1 Off-White Air, Air Jordan 12, Air Jordan 1 in blue, black, red and white; Air Jordan 11 and Air Max ’97. These special edition and retro styles are highly coveted by collectors and sport shoes enthusiasts. A legitimate pair can sell for between $1,500 and $2,000 online, federal officials said.
Some of the shoes seized looked obviously fake, with “AIR” printed on the sides of the shoes with quotes around them, underneath a Nike swish that appeared to be both taped and sewn on.
Such a shipment of genuine shoes would be worth more than $2.2 million.
“Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multi-million dollar criminal industry. The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Customs and Border Protection Port Director of the LA/Long Beach Seaport, said in a statement.
$2 million in fake ‘retro’ Nikes labeled as napkins are seized in California, feds say
By Tyler Carter, Miami Herald October 9, 2019
A Sacramento runner who recently realized the value of his decades-old Nike shoes sold them to a Nike-themed hotel in Eugene, Oregon, in June. The shoes, bought for more than $11,000, are on display in the hotel lobby.
U.S. Border Patrol agents in conjunction with Homeland Security discovered fake Nike shoes while performing an enforcement exam on a shipment coming from China to California, the department confirmed in a press release.
More than 14,000 shoes arrived at the Long Beach seaport in crates labeled “napkins” to “disguise the illicit cargo” the department said.
Had the shoes been authentic, they would be valued at $2.2 million.
“Intellectual property theft is a crime that leads to lost revenue for American industry, a loss of American jobs, and often poses a threat to public health and safety,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “CBP is the frontline that protects American ingenuity, without any doubt, one of the most valuable assets of our country.”
According to the Apparel, Footwear and Textiles Center of Excellence, the confiscated shoes were found to be “in violation of Nike’s Air Jordan 1 Off-White, Air Jordan 12, Air Jordan 1 (blue, black, red, white), Air Jordan 11, Air Max ’97 protected designs and trademarks.”
Because the shoes are in such high demand, officials say a “legitimate pair can potentially sell for $1,500 dollars and up to $2,000 online. Consumers shopping online are eventually likely to encounter fraudulent sellers.”
In December 2018, CBP officials “intercepted a shipment of over over 9,000 counterfeit Nike sneakers in New York,” according to CNN. Had the shoes been legitimate, their value totaled close to $1.7 million.
How can you tell if your Nike shoes are fake or real?
WikiHow provides numerous signs to look for if you’re dealing with a potential counterfeiter. Those tips include ensuring the company you are buying from has a return policy and looking up the shoe’s “SKU number.”
“Every pair of authentic Nike shoes comes with an SKU number that is identical to the SKU number on their box,” the website says. “If the numbers are missing or do not match, they are likely fakes.”
__________________________________EndSources: CBS News, Miami Herald
