Counterfeit Nike sneakers worth $1.7M seized in New York

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently seized counterfeit Nike sneakers with an estimated retail value of nearly $1.7 million, the agency disclosed this week.

The seizure occurred in late September, when authorities at the Port of New York/Newark intercepted a shipment originating from Dongguan City, China, the agency said in a press release. The shipment contained more than 9,000 sneakers that were en route to Chino, California.

“This significant seizure of counterfeit Nike sneakers illustrates Customs and Border Protection’s continued commitment to protecting the American consumer against the proliferation of substandard and potentially unsafe counterfeit consumer goods,” said Troy Miller, director of CBP’s New York Field Office.  “Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights laws is a CBP priority trade mission. We will continue to work closely with our trade and law enforcement partners to identify and seize counterfeit merchandise that could potentially harm U.S. consumers and businesses.”

Nike did not return a request for comment.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has an ongoing investigation into the shipment. It’s unclear if anyone was arrested in connection with the seizure.

The CBP said it seized an average of $3.3 million in counterfeit goods per day in 2017.

Nike has taken steps to address counterfeit goods in the past. The sports retail giant reached a deal with Amazon last year to allow the e-commerce company to sell its sneakers on its platform. The agreement was said to be an effort by Nike to crack down on fake sneakers that were sold by third parties on Amazon.