HOUSTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport have seized nearly $4 million in counterfeit goods, including fake MLB and Nike apparel, Louis Vuitton bags, Cartier sunglasses, and Jaguar Land Rover computer systems, according to the agency.
Officers from the IAH Trade Enforcement Team pulled the items after determining they violated intellectual property rights tied to registered trademarks. CBP put the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the seized goods at $3.7 million.
CBP Area Port Director Roderick Hudson said counterfeit goods are poor quality products that cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars a year while costing the country jobs and tax revenue. Hudson said CBP officers stay vigilant against counterfeit smuggling, and that seizures like this one hit the illicit actors and organized crime networks behind the trade while protecting communities from knockoffs that can be genuinely hazardous.
Most of the shipments originated in China and were headed to destinations both inside and outside the United States, according to CBP. The agency’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, its in-house trade experts, confirmed the items were fake before they were seized for carrying counterfeit versions of registered and recorded trademarks.
CBP data shows handbags, wallets, apparel, footwear, watches, jewelry, and consumer electronics carry the highest risk of counterfeiting, and knockoff versions of popular brands regularly turn up in online marketplaces and flea markets. Beyond the trademark issue, the agency notes these goods are often made in unregulated, sometimes exploitative overseas conditions, and the profits routinely fund organized crime.
CBP says counterfeit products often give themselves away through cheap construction. Peeling labels, sloppy printing on packaging, and loosely packed boxes are common red flags. Fake apparel and handbags tend to show uneven stitching and logos that look slightly off in size or shape. Counterfeit electronics tend to run hot and burn through batteries fast.
The agency points to e-commerce as a major driver of the problem. Easy online shopping means more products flowing into the country, and that same access opens the door for counterfeit and pirated goods to slip in alongside legitimate ones. CBP says more than 90% of counterfeit seizures happen through international mail and express shipping, the same channels used for ordinary small e-commerce packages, and many of those shipments carry the same health, safety, and economic risks as a full shipping container of fakes.
CBP is urging shoppers to buy directly from trademark holders or authorized retailers, read seller reviews when shopping online, and check that a seller has a working U.S. phone number and a real contact address. The agency also recommends reviewing its E-Commerce Counterfeit Awareness Guide for Consumers, and offers a simple rule of thumb: if a deal looks too good to be true, it usually is.
Anyone who suspects they’ve encountered counterfeit goods can report it through CBP’s e-Allegations portal or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT.
