BALTIMORE — U.S. Customs and Border agents have intercepted another large haul of counterfeit or unapproved COVID-19 supplies including test kits, medication and face masks.
Over the last two weeks, agents at the Port of Washington, D.C., recovered nearly 1,200 pills, including Hydroxychloroquine sulfate, and 100 unapproved test kits.
At the Port of Baltimore, more than 600 counterfeit brand face masks were recently seized including Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and European soccer team logos.
Since June 5, officers at the Ports of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, and the Ports of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Delaware, have discovered the following items.
- 145 unapproved or counterfeit COVID-19 test kits
- 337 unapproved or counterfeit COVID-19 antibody diagnostic kits
- 792 unapproved or counterfeit N95 respirator masks and other face masks
- 1,188 doses of Hydroxychloroquine sulfate, Dipyridmole, Doxycycline, Metformin
- 960 doses of Lianhua Qingwen Jianonangcee and Lianhua Qingwen Pian capsules
Many arrived from Ghana, Hong Kong, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom and were headed to addresses in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
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“Predatory scammers continue to prey on consumer fear by peddling these counterfeit or unapproved and potentially dangerous products as legitimate COVID-19 protective equipment or medicines,” said Casey Durst, CBP’s Director of Field Operations in Baltimore. “Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to work with our consumer safety partners to identify and seize products that could potentially harm American citizens.”
