As recently announced, the customs officials noticed a suspect sea container in Hamburg Harbour in April. Upon inspecting it more closely, the customs officials discovered numerous potential counterfeits of Nike shoes hidden behind a load of low-price footwear. When the container was to be further inspected by x-ray a few days later, the imitations had disappeared.
After looking into the company storing the container on its premises the officials found much more than just a single load of counterfeited Nike shoes. They were able to remove a load with a total volume of more than 46.000 pairs of shoes from circulation, around seven containers. The brand owner, Nike, subsequently inspected the confiscated shoes and confirmed the customs authority’s suspicions that they were counterfeits.
“With this confiscation, the customs authority landed a significant blow against international product piracy. We’ve once again helped to protect consumers, the economy, and employees. That’s part of our mission,” explained Uwe Schröder, General Customs Director.
The majority of the counterfeit shoes have since been destroyed under the supervision of the customs authority. The company that imported the counterfeits is currently being prosecuted with tax evasion and violations of the brand law.
