ICE Raids in Puerto Rico Turn Up $18 Million Worth of Counterfeit Goods
A joint effort with by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from the Federal Food and Drug Administration and Puerto Rican law enforcement groups resulted in major counterfeit goods seizures in Puerto Rico, said ICE in a press release. The efforts turned up more than $18 million in counterfeit contact lenses and merchandise during the execution of several search warrants in eight different municipalities of Puerto Rico.
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HSI special agents and partner law enforcement officers worked in teams to execute 17 federal search warrants at stores in the municipalities of San Juan, Caguas, Añasco, Bayamon, Ponce, Moca, Isabela and Naranjito, Puerto Rico on Aug. 21, said ICE. They seized 4,000 counterfeit Fresh Look contact lenses by Novartis, with an estimated manufacturer's retail price (MSRP) of $200,000, along with 200,000 pieces of counterfeit merchandise from companies including Coach, Gucci, Ray Ban, Michael Kors, Rolex, Bulgari, Hublot, Nautica, Tous, Tiffany & Co., and Nike. HSI special agents seized 25,000 counterfeit watches with an approximate MSRP of more than $3 million and 200 pairs of sneakers with an approximate MSRP of $32,000.