Cincinnati CBP Officers Seize Counterfeit 3M Surgical Masks

The shipments were imported on 16 pallets from Hong Kong.

Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

(Cincinnati, Oh.) – You never know what U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are going to come across.

CBP officers in Cincinnati recently seized 450 boxes of counterfeit 3M surgical masks. The boxes were imported on 16 pallets from a company in Hong Kong.

Each box contained 240 masks for a grand total of 108,000 counterfeit items.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the masks were destined for a logistics company in Montreal and would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $137,160 had they been genuine.

 “Counterfeiting is no longer confined to street vendors and flea markets,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “The past year has strained our supply chains on many levels, leading e-commerce to be invaluable to supply consumers with needed goods. However, e-commerce venues also represent ideal platforms for trademark infringement and piracy. Our officers and specialists have amplified their efforts to prevent dangerous and potentially faulty products like these from reaching unsuspecting consumers.”

Throughout the past year, criminal enterprises exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to sell counterfeit, unapproved, and unsafe PPE and pharmaceuticals, but CBP has remained focused on its mission to protect consumers, reduce trading costs, and promote a level playing field for American businesses.

For more information, visit www.cbp.gov.