U.S. Customs and Border Protection, December 16, 2024: In the past 12 months, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago have seized 121 prohibited products, including more than 3.2 million e-cigarette products with a total manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $81.5 million.
Almost all of the goods came from China and were destined for various parts of the United States. Most of the goods violated the FDA’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), and some of the goods were seized for intellectual property infringement. Some of the intellectual property infringements involved used unauthorized trademarks associated with pop idols. By copying these well-known trademarks, sellers target teenagers and young adults, hoping to convince them to buy their counterfeit goods.
“Criminals often use well-known figures and brands to promote their products. They use the names of Internet celebrities with a large number of fans to specifically target young audiences,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for the Chicago Field Office.
In addition to infringing intellectual property rights, they lack the necessary FDA authorization and are adulterated and mislabeled in violation of the Federal Food and Drug Administration Act. E-cigarettes that are not approved by the FDA may contain higher concentrations of nicotine and other unknown toxic chemicals that are extremely harmful to health.
To protect American businesses and consumers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes millions of counterfeit goods every year. These goods include imitations of popular products such as smartphones and related accessories, electronics, clothing, shoes, cosmetics and high-end luxury goods, as well as goods that pose significant health and safety risks, such as counterfeit medicines, bicycle and motorcycle helmets, medical devices, supplements and other consumables.
