1m fake Viagra pills, designer goods seized in Los Angeles

US customs officers in Los Angeles have intercepted a big haul of counterfeit Viagra tablets, along with fake designer wear, car emblems and headphones, in three containers arriving from China.

The haul included 1m falsified 100mg tablets of Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction treatment in 30 count bottles as well as a wide range of counterfeit bags, shoes and belts claiming to be genuine Louboutin, Dior, Nike, Versace, Fendi, Burberry and Louis Vuitton items, and knock-off Beats by Dr Dre headphones.

Viagra and other ED drugs have been a perennial target for counterfeiters, seeking to cash in on the reluctance of some men to approach their doctors for a prescription.

There have also been reports of increasing use of ED drugs by young men seeking to improve sexual performance, or to offset the libido-sapping effects of some recreational drugs.

If genuine, the total value of the seized goods would have been worth upwards of $32m, and were likely destined for sale to unsuspecting consumers in the built-up to Christmas. The three containers were searched on arrival at the LA/Long Beach Seaport.

“Criminals are exploiting e-commerce platforms to sell counterfeit and often dangerous goods to unwitting holiday shoppers,” said Carlos Martel, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) director of field operations in LA.

Counterfeit masks

Also this week, customs agents in Cincinnati seized 6,080 counterfeit 3M masks worth an estimated $6,500, shipped from Hong Kong and en route to Jamaica – further evidence of criminals cashing in on the coronavirus pandemic.

The information provided with the shipment did not meet authentication requirements and the boxes were labelled as made in the US.

Nationwide in Fiscal Year 2020, CBP seized 26,503 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights. The total estimated value of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was nearly $1.3 billion.