Over 14,000 Fugazi Yeezy & Nike Off-White Sneakers Seized At LAX

Source: Photo credit should read DANIEL ROLAND/AFP/Getty Images) / Photo credit should read DANIEL ROLAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Over 14,000 Fugazi Yeezy & Off-White Sneakers Seized At Los Angeles International Airport

The sneaker game has become one of the wildest obsessions in pop culture, and right now, it keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. Nowadays, the most sought after sneakers never even make it to the shelves. You’ve got drawings in-store, online raffles, app released, and of course, backdooring/resale.

Now, reselling has become so common that their are apps such as Stock-X & GOAT that allow you to buy at the upcharged price right off your phone with the street tax already applied. Stock-X has seen sales of a single pair of sneakers go for six figures, and it happens pretty often, at that. But with hyped up releases also comes the black market and the finesses such as the production of fake goods.

Fakes have always been in the picture, but now, it’s more prevalent than ever with Stock-X and GOAT receiving hundreds of pairs a day and letting a lot of them slide. This week, one Los Angeles International Airport Board and Customers agent found the counterfeit load of a lifetime.

According to NBC Los Angeles, shipments to customers were labeled as “napkins,” but the contents were something completely different. Upon further investigation, the entire two shipping containers were filled to the brim with sneakers. After the discrepancy of the labels saying “napkins,” but clearly being something else, the agent brought in import experts who contacted the trademark holder (Nike) and confirmed the sneakers were fake.

The finding of fake sneakers is an everyday occurrence, but what makes this stand out is the total of these fake sneakers was 14,806 pairs, valued at a total of $2.24 million. The shoes ranged from Nike Off-White and other sought after Nikes to Adidas Yeezys and more.

“Counterfeit brand-name shoes is a multi-million dollar criminal industry. The trafficking of these items is extremely lucrative and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular products.” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP Port Director of the LA/Long Beach Seaport.

If you think this is just fake sneakers being sold in the states, customs says it’s way deeper than that. These fake sneakers and the revenue that generates from them goes back into crime, sometimes funding entire criminal empires and illegal activity.

With that being said, it’s safe to say someone’s empire took a massive $2.24 million hit.