Officials seize ‘$39m’ worth of fake goods in Super Bowl crackdown

More than 450,000 counterfeits worth an estimated $39 million have been seized by customs officials as part of attempts to crackdown on individuals seeking to cash in on the Super Bowl.

The goods were seized by officials from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of “Operating Team Player”—a joint enterprise conducted by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations.

Working alongside National Football League (NFL) representatives, authorities targeted market places, retail outlets and street vendors. They recovered fake jerseys, hats and mobile phone accessories.

The operation began immediately after last year’s Super Bowl and ended in the week building up to this year’s tournament.

According to ICE, 41 people have been arrested and 35 have been convicted of selling counterfeit goods.

Sarah Saldaña, ICE director, said: “Intellectual property theft is a serious crime. The increased enforcement actions conducted over the past year not only protected consumers, but led to information investigators can use to shut down major counterfeit distribution networks overseas and within our borders.”

Dolores DiBella, counsel for the NFL, said its partnership with customs authorities “has resulted in a significant crackdown on the illegal sale of counterfeit merchandise and tickets”.

Super Bowl 50 took place yesterday, February 7, in Santa Clara, California.

Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10.