US authorities last week charged 29 people with smuggling US$325 million of counterfeit goods into the country from China in one of the largest smuggling busts in US history, Bloomberg reported. The counterfeit goods – including cigarettes, Nike and UGG footwear, and Coach, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags – were brought in through the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal. Of the 29 accused, 23 were arrested in the US and Philippines, while six suspects remain at large. Three defendants were also charged with attempting to import crystal methamphetamine. US Homeland Security and Customs began the investigation in 2009, and parallel probes conducted by agents from the FBI, Homeland Security and Customs uncovered overlapping crime rings. Counterfeiting around the globe amounts to “tens of billions” of dollars each year, US Attorney Paul Fishman said at a news conference.
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