U.S. officials have seized millions of dollars’ worth of counterfeit Apple cell phone chargers in the Houston area.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Area Port of Houston and Galveston today announced that it discovered 373,000 counterfeit USB phone chargers, also known as lightning cables, with an appraised MSRP of just over $7 million.
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The 7,460 cartons containing the phone chargers bore the “Apple” trademark and were confirmed to be counterfeit by both CBP and Apple representatives.
“Counterfeiting is stealing, period, and it is illegal to purchase counterfeit goods,” CBP Acting Area Port Director John Landry said in a statement announcing the bust. “Bringing them into the United States may result in civil or criminal penalties, and purchasing counterfeit goods often supports criminal activities, such as forced labor or human trafficking.”
Consumers are reminded to only buy from legitimate sources and to pay attention to how much they are paying. “If it is too good to be true, it probably is!”
China and Hong Kong have consistently been the top two source countries for seizures of counterfeit items. In fiscal year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 90% of the total quantity seized.
