Louisville, Kentucky- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations officers assigned to the UPS facility have just concluded an extremely successful Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement operation resulting in the seizure of counterfeit merchandise worth more than $3 million.

Operation Louisville Slugger ran from April 25 through April 28, seizing thousands of counterfeit items being imported into the United States. As a result of the four-day special operation conducted by CBP staff at the UPS hub, 57 seizures of intellectual property rights infringing merchandise were initiated.

"Our officers saw everything from counterfeit iPads to jewelry to handbags to cell phones," said David Murphy, CBP Director of Field Operations in Chicago. "The officers, import specialists, entry specialists and the UPS staff worked together to make this operation a success. CBP is committed to protecting our nation from anything that can cause it harm, including the importation of counterfeit merchandise."

Stopping the flow of fake goods is a priority for the U.S. government, and CBP has designated IPR enforcement as a priority trade issue. Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, hurt the U.S. economy, and threaten the health and safety of the American people. These products range from electrical articles such as power cords and lights that can catch fire or shock consumers, to medications with unknown ingredients. Other fake products include batteries that may explode or leak mercury, to personal care items such as toothpaste and shampoo that may contain harmful bacteria, to computer network components, semiconductors, and machinery and parts that can cripple infrastructure vital to national security, including financial, telecommunications, defense and other essential systems.

For more information on IPR issues, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection web site.

CBP officers and agriculture specialists are stationed at the express consignment facilities located throughout the country. CBP constantly conducts enforcement operations on international parcels and is on the lookout for any type of contraband or prohibited items being shipped to the U.S.