U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have recently announced the seizure of more than 1,000 pairs of counterfeit AirPods Pro 2 devices and 50 fake Apple Watches at Washington Dulles International Airport back in March.
Seizure details
Inspectors discovered 1,000 fake AirPods and 50 counterfeit Apple Watches in four shipments bound for Fairfax County, Virginia, on March 15. Originating from China, the counterfeiters would have made more than $290,000 selling the imitation products at Apple’s suggested retail price if they had been genuine.
Although the counterfeit Apple products were seized on March 29, no one has been charged in the case yet. Christine Waugh, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C., said, “Unscrupulous manufacturers and vendors illegally profit on the sale of substandard counterfeit products at the expense and safety of American consumers.” She urged consumers to protect their health and wallets by purchasing authentic consumer goods from reputable or authorized vendors.
CBP’s efforts against counterfeit goods
During fiscal 2022, the CBP reported that it seized nearly 21,000 shipments containing counterfeit goods that violate the U.S. Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program. The seizure at Dulles International Airport is another successful effort by CBP officers to prevent counterfeit products from entering the market and protect consumers from potentially dangerous and substandard goods.
