Overview
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated over $6 million worth of counterfeit goods at Port Houston and the Port of Galveston, including large quantities of World Cup-branded items.
- Officials itemized the haul as about 12,000 Adidas soccer jerseys, 4,500 Adidas FIFA soccer balls, nearly 4,400 pairs of athletic shoes, and more than 2,200 fake Apple watches and earbuds.
- CBP said most of the seized shipments originated in China and that similar FIFA-branded counterfeits have been shipped to and seized across the United States.
- Thomas Mahn, CBP director for Galveston and the Port of Houston, said the agency works to protect consumers from low-quality and potentially dangerous counterfeit products and studies shipping flows before major events.
- Beyond sports merchandise, agents also seized toys and perfumes, reflecting how counterfeiters use global supply chains and e-commerce to push diverse knockoffs that harm brands and can pose safety risks to buyers.