Seen em on tha news...they look good too.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8JV4VB80.htm?sub=apn_home_up&chan=db
SEP. 6 12:33 A.M. ET Federal agents have seized thousands of pairs of fake Nike sneakers and charged six men in what is being called one of the largest smuggling rings in recent history.
The alleged plot involved 15 sea cargo containers holding about 135,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike Air Jordans, with a retail value of $16 million. In all, the ring is believed to have shipped 82 containers of counterfeit shoes and athletic clothing into the country, authorities said Tuesday.
"We approximate that the value of the total amount seized could potentially reach $86 million," said Roberto Medina, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in Arizona.
Caroline Joiner, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's anticounterfeiting and piracy initiative, said the case is "the largest we've seen." She said U.S. Customs officials reported seizures of $16 million in apparel for all of 2005.
Authorities said each container ostensibly was to be transported to Mexico. In reality, the smugglers intended to bribe customs agents, slip the phony knockoff merchandise into American commerce and reap huge profits based on retail prices of $125 to $135 for each pair of shoes, authorities said.
Donna De La Torre, director of field operations for Customs and Border Protection, called the operation's scope "incredibly enormous."
The ring included people from Hong Kong, China, Mexico and the United States, U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton said. Six defendants were charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods and services and conspiracy to commit to bribe a public official.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8JV4VB80.htm?sub=apn_home_up&chan=db
SEP. 6 12:33 A.M. ET Federal agents have seized thousands of pairs of fake Nike sneakers and charged six men in what is being called one of the largest smuggling rings in recent history.
The alleged plot involved 15 sea cargo containers holding about 135,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike Air Jordans, with a retail value of $16 million. In all, the ring is believed to have shipped 82 containers of counterfeit shoes and athletic clothing into the country, authorities said Tuesday.
"We approximate that the value of the total amount seized could potentially reach $86 million," said Roberto Medina, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in Arizona.
Caroline Joiner, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's anticounterfeiting and piracy initiative, said the case is "the largest we've seen." She said U.S. Customs officials reported seizures of $16 million in apparel for all of 2005.
Authorities said each container ostensibly was to be transported to Mexico. In reality, the smugglers intended to bribe customs agents, slip the phony knockoff merchandise into American commerce and reap huge profits based on retail prices of $125 to $135 for each pair of shoes, authorities said.
Donna De La Torre, director of field operations for Customs and Border Protection, called the operation's scope "incredibly enormous."
The ring included people from Hong Kong, China, Mexico and the United States, U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton said. Six defendants were charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods and services and conspiracy to commit to bribe a public official.
