More than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars were seized at port facilities in Los Angeles and Long Beach as part of a multi-agency investigation, making it the largest seizure of counterfeit instruments in history, authorities announced Tuesday.
Afrika Bell, the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach’s port director, declined to reveal suspects or details about the case because the case remains active, but said the products, which could be valued at more than $18 million if authentic, were not disclosed. Worth mentioning that it will probably be available for email. commerce.
Several red, black and orange electric guitars were on stands and on a table as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced the seizure at a morning news conference in Carson.
“These guitars on display around me and behind me may look real to you, but trust me, they are not,” Bell said. “They are a scam and part of a larger effort to deceive American consumers.”
More than 3,000 Gibson guitars seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection were likely destined for e-commerce, authorities said.
(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Bell said that while most shipments comply with U.S. import laws, many do not.
“Finding illegal contraband and revenue owed to the U.S. government among the tons of cargo that arrives here every day is like trying to find the smallest needle or the largest haystack,” she said. said. “It’s important business. Last year, we stopped more than $2 billion worth of counterfeit goods from entering the United States, the highest amount ever recorded.”
The incident is being investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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