CBP Seizes Counterfeit Toys
December 7, 2009Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at San Diego area ports of entry seized thousands of fake toys worth more than $1.6 million entering the United States in commercial shipments.
On November 16, CBP said, its officers at the seaport of San Diego inspected a shipment manifested as assorted toys and found counterfeit Barbie dolls in 25 of the 350 boxes on the manifest. CBP seized 600 dolls with a domestic value of $2,975 and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $23,994. According to the agency, the confiscated dolls were of poor quality and lacked license information.
Earlier, on October 21, CBP officers had discovered 20 boxes that contained counterfeit Barbie dolls in a container also manifested as assorted toys. The boxes contained a total of 1,920 dolls with a domestic value of $2,723 and an MSRP of $34,502.
On October 29, CBP officers at the Otay Mesa cargo port of entry found discrepancies as they inspected four cargo containers manifested as “toys” entering the U.S. from Mexico.
In each container, officers found 262 battery-operated vehicles designed for children. The Jeep trademark, which had been recorded with CBP, was found on the counterfeit goods, leading to their seizure.
The next day, CBP officers at the Otay Mesa facility inspected an additional eight containers manifested specifically as “Jeep Toys.” The containers, each of which also held 262 toys, were seized.
The agency said the 3,100 seized Jeep toys have a domestic value of over $554,000 and a MSRP totaling $1,571,964.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s mission includes protecting the intellectual property rights of legitimate businesses,” said Rosa Hernandez, port director at the Otay Mesa cargo facility.
In fiscal year 2008, CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement together seized more than $272.7 million worth of counterfeit items nationwide.
