CINCINNATI, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Customs officers seized nearly $5.4 million worth of counterfeit products at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The seizure last week came a year after a similar operation by the United States Customs and Border Protection that confiscated $21 million in counterfeit products at the Cincinnati airport, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Wednesday.
The most recent operation ran Sept. 19-23 and resulted in the confiscation of 289 shipments holding about 27,000 separate pieces of phony merchandise.
Customs officials say the two operations show a growing problem in knockoff import the airport that security and inspections may need to be increased.
"We were a little bit surprised," said Brian Bell, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. "We're going to have to look at what else we can do."
The seizures at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport reflect a trend growing nationwide: last year about $188 million worth of products were confiscated in about 20,000 seizures nationally.
Knockoff baseball caps, clothing, makeup, handbags and other inexpensive goods make up the bulk of the seized products.
Nearly 80 percent of the products are being imported from China.
U.S. officials have filed numerous complaints to the Chinese government about the counterfeit products over the years.
"With the economy being the way it is, we don't need one more thing adding fuel to that fire," Bell said.
