NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New Orleans announced they seized 59,425 counterfeit items valued at more than $1 million during a holiday-related intellectual property rights surge operation.
According to the coordinated federal law enforcement, the operation focused on interrupting counterfeit efforts in the New Orleans metro area during the holiday shopping season.
In total, the seized counterfeit items had a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $1,012,942.
“Counterfeit products such as pharmaceuticals and cosmetics pose a serious threat to the health and safety of unsuspecting consumers, impacts legitimate trade, and compromises our national security,” said HSI New Orleans Deputy Special Agent Jeb Bison. “We are committed to working closely with our federal and state partners and private sector stakeholders to keep illegal and dangerous products away from the U.S. public, while disrupting revenue streams that fund transnational criminal organization.”