Around 219,000 pieces of counterfeit clothing, shoes, bags, and other luxury products were confiscated from a storage facility in Manhattan. This is the largest seizure of counterfeit goods in U.S. history.
If these goods were genuine, they would have been worth approximately $1.03 billion, setting a record for seizures. However, knock-off goods typically sell for significantly less on the street, still generating substantial profits for the fraudsters.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the bust on Wednesday and charged two men with operating a fake goods operation from the raided storage facility.
Adama Sow, 38, and Abdulai Jalloh, also known as Troy Banks, 48, have been arrested and indicted on one count each of trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The USAO-SDNY also alleges that Mr. Jalloh used an additional offsite location for the counterfeit goods scheme, which operated from January to October 20.
If convicted, both Mr. Sow and Mr. Jalloh could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
“We will not allow opportunists to convert public warehouses into their own illegal shopping centers, or to wreak havoc on the streets of New York City, nor will we relent in our efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations smuggling these items through our borders,” said Homeland Security Investigations New York Special Agent-in-Charge Ivan Arvelo in a statement, according to the New York Post.