A smuggling ring involving counterfeit and illegal goods from China was dismantled at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. Nine individuals, including logistics executives, warehouse owners, and truck drivers, were indicted on charges of conspiracy, smuggling, and breaking customs seals. The operation involved diverting shipping containers flagged for inspection to off-site facilities, where contraband was unloaded and replaced with filler cargo. More than $130 million in goods were seized.
Participants in the scheme took shipping containers flagged for additional inspection at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex to an off- site facility, where contraband goods were unloaded and stored.
Logistics executives, warehouse owners and truck drivers were among nine people indicted in a smuggling operation involving about $200 million worth of counterfeit and other illegal products from China into the United States through the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, federal Eight of the defendants were arrested on Friday and Saturday. A ninth person remains at large. They were named in a 15-count indicated unsealed Friday.Participants in the scheme took shipping containers flagged for additional inspection at the ports to an off- site facility, where contraband goods were unloaded and stored in warehouses, according to prosecutors. The containers were re-filled with filler cargo to deceive customs officials and evade law enforcement, authorities said. Once the shipping containers were at the facilities, the security seals were broken and the illegal items were removed. Counterfeit security seals were then placed on the containers to make it appear nothing had been removed, authorities said.The containers were transported to Customs and Border Protection-authorized sites for inspection. Co-conspirators were paid fees that were"substantially above" normal trucking fees to have the containers transported, prosecutors said. More than $130 million in goods were seized by investigators, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The smuggling ring led to at least $200 million in goods being brought into the country illegally, authorities said.Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.The nine defendants are charged with conspiracy, smuggling and breaking customs seals. A trial date was scheduled for March 18.
Smuggling Counterfeit Goods Los Angeles-Long Beach Port Customs Law Enforcement
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