CE HSI, federal partners, warn consumers to beware of deadly counterfeit vehicle parts flooding the market

The production of counterfeit vehicle parts poses a significant health and safety threat to consumers. It also impacts the economic growth of legitimate businesses and impacts consumers through lost revenue, downtime, and replacement costs. To ensure public safety, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), work alongside federal partners at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the U.S. Attorney's Office, to dismantle counterfeit operations and to hold individuals involved in them accountable.

In April 2018, CBP intercepted an international parcel containing six counterfeit Toyota airbags, shipped by Ali Mufrej. HSI agents on the Seattle Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) initiated an investigation into Mufrej and determined he was associated with a large volume of shipments of counterfeit vehicle airbags and auto parts being sold online.

On Dec. 12, 2018, HSI BEST-Seattle arrested Mufrej for multiple counts of trafficking counterfeit goods. HSI special agents also executed a search warrant at Mufrej's residence in Des Moines. During the execution of the search warrant, agents located and seized counterfeit airbags, airbag inflators, airbag covers, automaker emblems, electronic devices and miscellaneous documents relating to the shipment and sale of counterfeit airbags. The counterfeit airbags were found to pose significant risk to consumers.

On Dec. 17, 2019, Ali Mufrej was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. He has previously pled guilty to violations of criminal copyright infringement-accessory after the fact.

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