Border Patrol seized fake NBA championship rings worth $ 560,000

The US Customs and Border Protection Agency dismantled a counterfeit shipment of National Basketball Association championship rings at the Los Angeles International Airport. This crackdown comes before the start of the pre-season sports, September 30.

In a press release sent on Wednesday, the federal agency announced the seizure of 28 rings violating trademarks and designs protected by 11 NBA teams. The report also noted that if the rings seized were genuine, they would have an approximate retail price suggested by the manufacturer of $ 560,000.

The discovery was made by US CBP officers working at the airport's cargo operations department. During a law enforcement review, officers discovered that the shipment had arrived from China and had a final destination in Arizona.

"The rings were found inside a wooden box, with the apparent intention of being sold as a collection," the report says. "The quantity and estimated value of the MSRP of counterfeit seized items is a clear indication of the profits generated by the illegal trade in counterfeit NBA championship rings."

The seizure, valued at more than half a million dollars, comes at a time when corporations and the US government are trying to fight intellectual property theft in China.

Import specialists working in the Consumer and Consumer Products Center of Excellence confirmed that the rings violated the following team marks: Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.

Air Jordan and the NBA Trophy logo have also been found to be trade-marks violated in this bust.

According to the CBP report, a legitimate NBA championship ring can be priced anywhere from $ 10,000 to $ 40,000. In some cases, a single ring may cost more than $ 200,000.

"Fraudsters are taking advantage of collectors and basketball fans wanting to get a part of the history of the sport," said Carlos C. Martel, director of CBP's field operations in Los Angeles.

He added, "This seizure shows how CBP agents and import specialists protect not only brands, but also the American consumer."

During fiscal year 2018, CBP reported seizing 33,810 consignments of counterfeit goods. According to the agency's estimate, if these assets were genuine, the value of the MSRP would be $ 1.4 billion.

This represents an increase from the $ 1.2 billion estimated for fiscal 2017.

Apparel and accessories were at the top of the CBP list, with 6,098 entries in 2018. That's 18% of all seizures that year.

In this category, watches and jewelry were the main offenders. Together, these seized items had a total value of MSRP of over $ 618 million, or 44% of the total. Handbags and wallets rank second with seizures estimated at more than $ 226 million.

The director of LAX's CBP port, Donald R. Kusser, said in the statement: "Transnational criminal organizations are shipping illicit goods to the United States via small express parcels to circumvent US laws."

He also noted that LAX has resources to intercept and seize illicit goods in a difficult global e-commerce environment.

Smaller airports across the country may find it more difficult to keep counterfeit products out of reach of citizens.

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In order to minimize the sale of counterfeit goods, CBP has implemented an educational initiative at US airports and online to educate consumers about the consequences and dangers of these purchases.

CBP also directs consumers to its Fake Goods, Real Dangers page for safe shopping information.