DENVER–Following the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win, special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) last Tuesday seized 361 counterfeit NFL-related merchandise at the Parade and Rally.
All the counterfeit items were seized in Denver’s Civic Center Park area Feb. 9 from 15 vendors; no arrests were made. The seizures consisted of T-shirts, jerseys and beanies with Broncos trademarks as well as Super Bowl 50 trademarks.
Because some counterfeits can look very similar to the original, HSI special agents conducted the operation with two NFL-brand security experts.
Trafficking of counterfeit goods is the second-largest illicit trade activity, valued at roughly $250 billion. In fiscal year 2014, HSI, working through its National Intellectual Property Rights Center, seized more than 23,000 counterfeit items with an MSRP of $1.2 billion.