Fake Filters Seized

By Karen Robes Meeks

Approximately $224,000 worth of counterfeit refrigerator water filters were recently seized at the LA/Long Beach Seaport by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in partnership with import specialists assigned to the Machinery Center of Excellence and Expertise.

The 5,200 fake filters were found while CBP officers examined a Chinese shipment bound for the state of Washington and Machinery Center import specialists confirmed that the filters violated Brita, GE, Frigidaire, PUR and NSF certification protected trademarks.

“Protecting our communities from untested and potentially harmful imports is paramount for CBP,” said CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles, Carlos C. Martel. “The risk is the consumer inadvertently may be exposing their family to drinking water that is not up to industry standards.”

According to a study conducted by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, counterfeit refrigerator water filters pose a serious risk to consumer health and safety. The use of fraudulently copied trademarks, branding and misleading claims make the filters look legitimate and while the water may look, smell or taste fine, the counterfeit filters that were tested show that they fail to remove lead from water. Further, many of the filters tested introduced harmful chemicals into clean water.

“It is incredibly difficult for consumers to spot counterfeit filters – and they are widespread online,” said Jill A. Notini, spokeswoman for Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.

“We are grateful that CBP officers were able to stop this large shipment of counterfeit water filters from finding their way to online markets,” she said, adding that “5,200 counterfeit filters equates to more than 33 million glasses of potentially unsafe water that could have been put into the hands of Americans across the country.”

Toys Seized

By Karen Robes Meeks

A shipment of hundreds of children’s toys violating consumer safety and trade laws were seized at the Port of Tacoma, US Customs and Border Protection announced last week.

Officers confiscated 720 four-piece Light Dive Sticks for violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, 900 Bubble Gun with Lights, and 1,500 22-inch Water Cannons for violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act, according to the agency.

“The enforcement of laws and regulations aimed at protecting consumers, especially children, at U.S. ports of entry remains a very high priority for CBP,” said Mark Wilkerson, director of CBP Field Operations at the Area Port of Seattle. “We will identify, stop and seize such merchandise at every opportunity. By working to stop the movement of illicit goods across our borders we meet a critical mandate.”

Smuggled Ammo Seized at Oakland Port

Thousands of rounds of ammunition were found hidden in the air filters of three cars that were recently scheduled to be shipped to Mongolia from the Port of Oakland, federal authorities revealed Feb. 7.

US Customs agents seized about 2,300 rounds of ammo after authorities making an enforcement exam on an outbound shipping container at the port in early December noticed discrepancies.

While searching the three cars in the container, high-power rifle and shotgun rounds were found, Customs & Border Protection field office spokesman Frank Falcon said. The container was then taken to a secure location and unloaded.

When the vehicles – a 2006 Lexus RX400, 2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and 2007 Toyota Camry – were disassembled, more ammo was found in the air filters, Falcon said. The undeclared ammunition included a Winchester .22-caliber long rifle and Remington 12-gauge shotgun shells.

The ammo and three cars are valued together at more than $45,000, according to Customs.

Officials said the investigation has determined that the smuggling attempt was likely that of an individual acting alone, not an act of organized crime.

Authorities say the vehicles are registered to an area resident, but would not reveal his name because no charges have been filed in the case, and no arrests made.

“The penalty was the resident had to forfeit the items,” Falcon said.

Stolen Luxury Vehicles Seized at LA/Long Beach Port Complex

Twenty stolen luxury vehicles valued at about $1.5 million were found and seized by US Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, officials said April 3.

The vehicles, which included a Ferrari 453 Italia and Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus brand vehicles were in containers marked as containing used fitness equipment, that were bound for Hong Kong and Vietnam.

According to Customs official Carlos Mantel, CBP officials were tipped off in February by a dealership that rented the Ferrari to someone who’s ID turned out to be fake. This resulted in an anti-theft device being activated on the vehicle, and the car being found at an unidentified terminal at the seaport complex.

A subsequent investigation turned up eight cargo containers filled with the remaining vehicles, which included cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, which were manufactured from 2009 to 2012, Martel said. Four of the vehicles reached Vietnam, but authorities managed to seize them for CBP.

The thieves are believed to have operated by renting or buying luxury cars under false identities, thereby defrauding rental agencies, banks and insurance companies. No arrests have been made yet in the case, but the investigation is still ongoing.

The vehicles will be turned over to the California Highway Patrol, which will then give them back to the companies that reported them missing, according to Customs.

CBP Seizes Karaoke Machines In LA/LB With Bogus Memory Chips

Members of the United States Customs and Border Protection assigned to the Long Beach/Los Angeles port complex discovered and seized 1,932 karaoke machines worth nearly $1 million loaded with counterfeit memory chips.

CBP officers seized the karaoke machines on May 16, after CBP import specialists confirmed with the trademark holder that the memory cards bearing the SD (San Disk) logo were counterfeit. The shipment, with an estimated domestic value of $852,368 and an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $964,068, arrived via a cargo container originating in China. The karaoke machines were destroyed after San Disk confirmed the chips were counterfeit.

It is routine for CBP, citing privacy reasons, to not identify the specific terminal or facility within the port complex where a seizure occurs.

“CBP enforcement actions at Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport continue to yield outstanding results. We have an ongoing commitment that is focused towards intercepting shipments containing merchandise in violation of protected trademarks before they reach the consumer,” CBP Acting Director of Los Angeles Field Operations Carlos Martel said in a statement.

The importation of merchandise with counterfeit trademarks is prohibited, said the CBP statement. Importers violating these laws may be subject to civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution. CBP said it maintains "a vigilant stance in intercepting illegal shipments that introduce infringing merchandise into the country."

CBP’s strategic approach to intellectual property rights enforcement is multi-layered and includes seizing fake goods at ports of entry, pushing the border outward through audits of infringing importers and cooperation with international trading partners, and partnering with industry and other government agencies to enhance these efforts.

In fiscal year 2010, CBP at the Long Beach/Los Angeles port complex set a record-breaking pace with 863 trade seizures with an aggregate domestic value exceeding $34 million. This is a 42 percent increase in the number of seizures from fiscal year 2009.