Human Trafficking

Philadelphia CBP Seizes Half-Million Dollars in Counterfeit Electronics and Dental Gels Destined to Delaware

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia continue to conduct the agency’s vital trade enforcement mission, including intercepting counterfeit consumer electronics that pose a real serious threat to the health and financial security of American consumers.

CBP officers seized a half-million dollars’ worth of counterfeit electronics in Philadelphia on April 14, 2020.CBP officers completed a seizure April 14 of two shipments from China that contained more than 20,000 pieces representing 35 different counterfeit consumer electronics, including video gaming systems, speakers, watches, cameras, scanners, DVD players, headphones, chargers and other electronics. Additionally, CBP officers seized counterfeit injectable dental gels.

If authentic, the electronics would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $519,510. CBP officers initially inspected the electronics on March 19. The products were destined to an address in Wilmington, Delaware.

“Counterfeit electronics may include malicious coding that could steal your identity and financial security, and they are generally manufactured with substandard materials that could overheat and ignite,” said Joseph Martella, CBP’s Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “CBP urges consumers to protect their families and their wallets by purchasing authentic goods from reputable vendors.”

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, damage the U.S. economy, and threaten the health and safety of the American people.

On a typical day in 2019, CBP officers seized $4.3 million worth of products with Intellectual Property Rights violations. Learn more about what CBP did during “A Typical Day” in 2019.

CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents seized 27,599 shipments containing counterfeit goods in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods, had they been genuine, increased to over $1.5 billion from nearly $1.4 billion in FY 2018. 

Additionally, HSI arrested 256 individuals, obtained 197 indictments, and received 157 convictions related to intellectual property crimes during FY 2019.

The People’s Republic of China remained the primary source economy for seized counterfeit and pirated goods, accounting for a total estimated MSRP value of over $1 billion or 66 percent of the estimated MSRP value of all IPR seizures.