CBP Seizes Shipment Containing 50,000 Fake Apple AirPods, 920 Nintendo Video Game Consoles From China The officers discovered the illegitimate products after inspecting a shipment of goods arriving from China into the United States and determined that they appeared to be fake.

By The Epoch Times

This story originally appeared on The Epoch Times

Customs agents working at the Port of Houston seized a shipment containing 50,000 fake Apple AirPods and 920 Nintendo video game consoles early last month for violating intellectual property rights (IPR), U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday.

The officers discovered the illegitimate products after inspecting a shipment of goods arriving from China into the United States and determined that they appeared to be fake. They then sent them to import specialists for review.

CBP's Electronics Center of Expertise and Excellence import specialists determined the electronic goods were indeed counterfeit and on Dec. 8, CBP officers seized the shipment containing the 50,000 fake Apple AirPods and 920 fake Nintendo video game consoles.

The shipment of fake products would have a domestic value of over $2.6 million and a manufacturer's suggested retail price of over $6.5 million had they been genuine, officials said.

"All year round, our officers take great care inspecting arriving international goods to ensure they are not counterfeit or harmful to consumers," said Houston/Galveston Area Port Director Roderick W. Hudson. "One of our agency's missions is to prevent the entry of illicit goods that could negatively impact our economy all while supporting legitimate trade."

CBP said it had seized over 3,000 consumer electronics with a manufacturer's suggested retail price value of over $162 million in 2020.

The federal law enforcement agency warned of the dangers associated with counterfeit products, which can involve forced labor and human trafficking, while supporting other criminal activities and funding criminal enterprises.

It comes as the global chip shortage is making it harder for American customers to purchase popular tech gadgets such as Apple AirPods, games consoles, and other consumer electronics as well as vehicles.

The chip crisis has been driven by soaring demand for such technologies during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking a shortage of chips.

In September, the White House asked both foreign and domestic chipmakers to submit supply chain information, including inventory data, demand, and delivery dynamics, by Nov. 8 in an effort to boost transparency and better understand where bottlenecks in the supply chain may exist.

Companies including Intel, GM, Infineon, and SK Hynix signaled they would cooperate with the voluntary request for data on the global chip crisis.

Some industry experts have pointed to China, which they believe may be hoarding chips and thus further exasperating the global shortage.

By Katabella Roberts

Katabella Roberts is a reporter currently based in Turkey. She covers news and business for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States.

Wavy Line

The Epoch Times, founded in 2000, is headquartered in Manhattan, New York, with a mission to provide independent and accurate information free of political bias or corporate influence. The organization was established in response to censorship within China and a lack of global awareness regarding the Chinese regime's repression of the spiritual practice Falun Gong.

The Epoch Times is a widely read newspaper that is distributed in 33 countries and is available in 21 languages. The publication has been critical in providing balanced and detailed reporting on major global events such as the 2003 SARS pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. Notably, the organization has played a key role in exposing corruption inside China.

Aside from its human rights coverage, The Epoch Times has made significant contributions in a variety of fields. It has received praise for its in-depth analysis and expert perspectives on business, the economy and U.S. politics. The newspaper has also received praise for its broad coverage of these topics.

A series of editorials titled "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" appeared in The Epoch Times in 2004. It asserts that freedom and prosperity in China can only be achieved by eliminating the Communist Party, which violated China's cultural and spiritual values. In addition, the organization led the Tuidang movement, which resulted in over 400 million Chinese citizens quitting the Communist Party. In spite of this, 90% of websites referring to the "Nine Commentaries" were blocked by the Chinese regime.

The Epoch Times has been at the forefront of investigating high-level corruption cases within the Chinese regime, with its reporters taking significant risks to uncover these stories. The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism.

The organization has received several awards for its investigative journalism. For more, visit www.theepochtimes.com.

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