Tampa, Florida - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at Tampa International Airport seized counterfeit NFL championship rings in a shipment from China worth a total estimated Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $300,000.
CBP officers discovered the rings while conducting consignment facilities operations. NFL representatives confirmed the findings, indicating that the rings were a poor attempt to duplicate Super Bowl images and hand tags. “Seizing counterfeit merchandise is one of the most important missions of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” said Miami/Tampa Field Office Director of Field Operations Diane J. Sabatino. “Not only are our officers protecting businesses from significant financial loss, but the public from serious health and safety threats.”
The enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights is a CBP Priority Trade Issue. Priority Trade Issues represent high-risk areas that can cause significant revenue loss, harm the U.S. economy, or threaten the health and safety of the American people. They drive the risk-informed investment of CBP resources as well as enforcement and facilitation efforts, including special enforcement operations, outreach, and regulatory initiatives.
CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) released their Fiscal Year 2015 IPR Seizure Statistics and an accompanying news release on April 15, 2016. In Fiscal Year 2015, 28,865 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods, worth an estimated MSRP value of $1.3 billion, were made.
The men and women of CBP are responsible for enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws and regulations. On a typical day, CBP welcomes nearly 1 million visitors, screens more than 67,000 cargo containers, arrests more than 1,100 individuals and seizes nearly 6 tons of illicit drugs.
