If you recently copped a Nike sneaker from the US, you might want to take a closer look to legit check them. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) found over 14,000 fake Nikes trying to enter Los Angeles from China as “napkins”. We have to say, these are actually some good looking napkins.
In total, 14,806 pairs of imitation Nikes were seized, and an early estimate places the full value of the shipment at US$2,000,000 (approx S$2,756,980). The fakes were replicas of sneakers that pack some serious heat, like the Off-White Air Jordan 1, retro colorways of the Air Jordan 1, Air Jordan 11, 12 and Air Max ‘97s. These sneakers, if thought to be legit, would have fetched up to US$2,000 (approx S$2,756.78) a pair.
According to the CBP, counterfeit goods like the ones seized in LA are commonly used to fund other criminal enterprises. They added that if the products are popular or successful, they become much more lucrative for the smugglers.
So if you just copped any of these Nike models from the States, you might want to double-check their authenticity – you might have been rocking some fakes.
If you found out your Nike sneakers are fake but you paid full price for them, should you still rock ’em? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
All images: US Customs and Border Protection
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