Days before the Super Bowl, federal authorities announced Thursday they have seized more than $150,000 in counterfeit NFL items in Florida alone.
A nationwide investigation dubbed Operation Fake Sweep, which began Oct. 1, targeted counterfeit hats, jerseys, T-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs.
The sweep resulted in seizures of 42,692 items of phony Super Bowl-related memorabilia along with other counterfeit items worth more than $4.8 million – up from $3.72 million last year, according to a news release.
In Florida, agents and officers seized 801 counterfeit NFL items valued at $157,336.
Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Tampa agents seized 397 items with an retail value of $61,616. The Tampa office oversees Central and North Florida.
Agents with the South Florida office in Miami seized 404 items valued at $95,720.
"Counterfeiting is a serious modern-day crime of global proportions. Selling fake football jerseys, hats and other team gear is just the tip of the iceberg of intellectual property rights crime," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Tampa. "The international market is teeming with other bogus goods, including fake pharmaceuticals and electronics. Nearly any item that will turn a profit is subject to being counterfeited."
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