The feds are on a roll this year!
After intercepting more than $4 million in fake NFL merch last month, the federal authorities announced on Friday they cracked one of the largest counterfeit goods operations in history.
The 135 containers filled with designer knockoffs and pure crystal methamphetamine entered the US from China through New Jersey’s Port Newark and Port Elizabeth with stolen identities and fake identification documents.
U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman revealed at a press conference last week:
Ugg boots, Timberland boots, Nike sneakers, Burberry scarves, Gucci handbags and boots, Lacoste shirts, Coach handbags, Polo sweatshirts, Louis Vuitton handbags, all of these and more, in total of more than $325 million worth of counterfeit Chinese goods imported into the United States through Port Newark and Port Elizabeth over the last two to three years by two different criminal conspiracies with overlapping members.
Luckily, the feds were able to discover the scheme with the help of undercover agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, and Customs & Border Patrol as well as court-authorized wiretaps.
A total of 29 people were charged in the indictment and 23 were in federal custody on Friday. Of those 23, 20 were arrested just hours before the noon press conference.
We’re glad they caught them when they did!
What do U think of this mess?
[Image via AP Images.]
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