Counterfeit Nike Shoes Worth Estimated $2.2M Seized at Los Angeles Seaport

Rob Goldberg @TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistOctober 10, 2019

This undated photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows some of more than 14,800 pair of counterfeit Nike shoes, seized in a shipment arriving from China at the Los Angeles-Long Beach sports complex. The agency said Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019 that had the fake special edition and retro design shoes been real, the manufacturer's suggested retail prices would have totaled more than $2.2 million. The agency says the shoes violated trademarks for various versions of Nike's Air Jordan and Air Max shoes. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

Uncredited/Associated Press

Federal officials seized an estimated $2.2 million worth of counterfeit Nike shoes at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday.

There were 14,806 pairs of shoes seized in two containers labeled as "napkins."

The sneakers included Nike's Off-White x Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 12, Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 11 and Air Max 97, some of which could return up to $2,000 each if legitimate.

"Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multimillion dollar criminal industry. The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products," CBP Port Director LaFonda Sutton-Burke said. "CBP commits substantial resources to detect, intercept and seize illicit goods at our nation’s largest seaport."

This isn't the first time people have been caught attempting to smuggle counterfeit Nike shoes into the United States.

Five people were charged in 2018 for trafficking what would've been $73 million worth of counterfeit Nike Air Jordan shoes into the Port of Newark from China. Susanna Kim of ABC News reported in 2016 that Nikes were some of the most counterfeited items in the world.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

🚨 SPORTS NEWS ➡️ YOUR INBOX