CBP seizes $21 million worth of counterfeit items at CVG
Posted: Sep 28, 2010 8:55 AM PDT
Updated: Sep 28, 2010 9:28 AM PDT

Source: U.S. CBP
OH (FOX19) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have seized over $21 million-worth of counterfeit items during "Operation Safe Summer."

CBP officers assigned to the DHL hub, with the support of Import Specialists from Cleveland, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents have been targeting and seizing arriving parcels containing IPR violations during a sweep conducted from Sept. 7-17.

As a result of the two week special operation conducted by CBP staff at the DHL hub, 611 seizures of intellectual property rights infringing merchandise were initiated. The total MSRP seized during Operation Safe Summer was $21,475,735.38.

These products range from electrical articles such as power cords and lights that can catch fire or shock consumers, to medications with unknown ingredients, to batteries that may explode or leak mercury, to personal care items such as toothpaste and shampoo that may contain harmful bacteria, to computer network components, semiconductors, and machinery and parts that can cripple infrastructure vital to national security, including financial, telecommunications, defense and other essential systems.

"All the pieces came together very nicely," said David Murphy, CBP director of field operations in Chicago. "Our officers, import specialists, federal law enforcement partners and the DHL staff worked together to make this operation a success. CBP is committed to protecting our nation from anything that can cause it harm, including the importation of counterfeit merchandise."
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