Cincinnati, Ohio - U.S. Customs and Border Protection interdicted nearly 700 shipments of counterfeit merchandise valued at $12 million as part of a Super Bowl XLIX focused operation conducted on January 26-29 at the DHL facility in Cincinnati.

“This operation demonstrates CBP's commitment to protecting our citizens from the threats posed by counterfeits,” said Brenda Smith, assistant commissioner, Office of International Trade. “Our officers and trade experts remain vigilant in detecting these violations and enforcing all trade laws.”

The $12 million is the estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price if the trademark on the merchandise had been genuine. Included in the hundreds of shipments seized are team apparel with counterfeit NFL trademark.

Operation Super Fake was led by CBP’s Mobile Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Team (MIPET), in partnership with the Apparel, Footwear and Textile Center of Excellence and Expertise, and the Port of Cleveland. CBP’s MIPET is a special task force of top intellectual property rights enforcement experts within the agency. They perform intellectual property rights enforcement operations on the front lines to prevent the entry of counterfeit goods into the United States. 

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 risk-informed investment of CBP resources, enforcement and facilitation efforts, including special enforcement operations, outreach and regulatory initiatives.

For more information on intellectual property rights, visit cbp.gov.