U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have cracked down on the illicit trade of counterfeit beauty products and office supplies in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Recently, officers seized four shipments of fake brand name anti-aging facial creams and counterfeit Sharpie pens with a combined estimated value of over $30,000 if the items had been authentic.
The seized counterfeit cosmetics, which occurred between February 26 and March 1, would have been worth $28,550, had they been genuine. In a statement obtained by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, consumers are warned of the health risks associated with using knockoff products, including exposure to harmful chemicals known to cause cancer, acne, eczema, among other issues. In addition, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection highlighted that items such as counterfeit cosmetics have been found to contain various levels of urine and other dangerous substances.
Among the confiscated items, on March 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 60 boxes of counterfeit Estee Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Moisturizer Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Crème shipped from Hong Kong, valued at $8,400. Another notable seizure included 50 boxes of fake Estee Lauder anti-aging creams, sent from China and seized on February 27. Both shipments were bound for addresses in Allentown and nearby Whitehall, Pennsylvania.
On the same streak of enforcement, CBP officers seized 3,000 counterfeit Sharpie pens on February 26, originating from China and destined for Birdsboro, Pa. The pens were valued at $1,530, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's report. Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area port of Philadelphia, said, "Customs and Border Protection urges you to protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers. Consumers might save a buck buying a knockoff product today but may end up paying thousands more in unexpected medical bills tomorrow."
The seizures were a coordinated effort between CBP officers, who suspected the shipments to be counterfeit, and the agency's trade experts at the Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE). The fake goods’ authenticity was scrutinized in collaboration with trademark holders to confirm they were indeed counterfeit before being subject to seizure. During fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded over 32,000 seizures with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price worth over $5.4 billion, had the goods been genuine, signifying a vast and persistent issue of counterfeit trading.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection encourages the public to report any knowledge of counterfeit goods being imported illegally into the United States through their anonymous tip system online.
