Port officials have seized a record $1 billion in counterfeit goods coming into L.A. this year

Authorities have seized $1 billion worth of counterfeit goods shipped to the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport so far this year, more than any other year in history, Customs and Border Protection said.

The 10-digit number assigned to the shipment is slightly misleading and indicates how much money authorities believe the goods would have sold for had they been genuine and sold at retail value, federal officials said.

“These illicit commodities often fund criminal activity and organized crime,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP’s Los Angeles director of field operations. CBP devotes significant resources to intercepting and seizing products that infringe intellectual property rights such as trademarks, copyrights and patents.

Martel said the value of the goods is so high because smugglers have taken advantage of increased consumer demand for products online. Smugglers have historically typically sold products on illegal websites or in person, but now they can also pose as legitimate sellers on giant e-commerce sites, federal officials said.

Authorities reminded consumers that buying the illegal products often supports criminal enterprises and could make buyers accomplices in human trafficking or forced labour.

The Port of Los Angeles hit the $1 billion mark on Sept. 15, surpassing the total amount of goods seized from 2021 by 38%, with months remaining in the year, officials said.

In 2021, CBP seized $3.3 billion worth of counterfeit goods across the country in more than 27,000 seizures, the agency said.