CBP New York/Newark seizes nearly $1.7 Million in Counterfeit Nike Sneakers

They're known as sneakers, but 9,024 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers could not sneak past alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of New York/Newark recently.

If authentic, the sneakers would have a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,695,600.

CBP officers inspected the shipment in late September after it arrived from Dongguan City, China. Officers then submitted digital images of the sneakers to CBP's Apparel Footwear and Textiles Center for Excellence and Expertise, the agency's trade experts. CBP's CEE specialists worked with the trademark holders and determined the sneakers to be counterfeit.

CBP completed the seizure Thursday. The sneakers were destined to an address in Chino, California. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations agents in Newark, N.J. continue to investigate.

The manufacture of counterfeit goods robs legitimate businesses of revenue, robs American workers of jobs, and poses health and safety threats to U.S. consumers. Oftentimes, the proceeds from counterfeit merchandise sales supports other nefarious and illicit businesses.

On a typical day in 2017, CBP officers seized $3.3 million worth of products with IPR violations.

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, the number of IPR seizures increased 8 percent to 34,143 from 31,560 in FY 2016. The total estimated MSRP of the seized goods, had they been genuine, decreased to $1.2 billion from $1.38 billion in FY 2016. Read more 2017 IPR Enforcement Statistics.

As a result of CBP enforcement efforts, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested 457 individuals, obtained 288 indictments, and received 242 convictions related to intellectual property crimes in 2017.