Who knew a sink could be fake? And so valuable?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized exactly 2,990 stainless steel sinks at the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday, the agency announced Friday morning. The sinks came from Malaysia and were bound for an unspecified address in Maryland.
Evidently all of them were fake because each one had a counterfeit UPC shield, or an insignia from the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials to certify the safety of plumbing hardware. Intellectual property specialists and agents discovered the association had not authorized the use of its shield on the basins, which is a trademark rights violation.
Which is really too bad for the company that was selling and shipping the sinks. The feds say the haul was valued at more than $1 million.
“Customs and Border Protection will continue to work closely with our trade and consumer safety partners to seize counterfeit and inferior merchandise, especially those products that pose potential harm to American consumers, negatively impact legitimate business brand reputations, and potentially steal jobs from U.S. workers,” said Bowman, the agency’s director for the Area Port of Baltimore.
The seizure may not be as flashy as stolen cars or as creepy as bugs, but it definitely had a higher price point.
It’s been a big week for customs agents in Baltimore. Just yesterday, they announced they also nabbed 10 whole weed-infused lollipops that a traveler tried to sneak through at BWI Marshall Airport on Jan. 11.
Oh God, really nabbed 10 lollipops! They have real crimes to solve and they should be on it. Crazy!