U.S. Customs and Border Protection interdicted nearly 700 shipments of counterfeit merchandise valued at $12 million as part of a Super Bowl XLIX focused operation conducted on Jan. 26-29 at the DHL facility in Cincinnati. Team apparel were among the array nearly hundreds of shipments interdicted. “This operation demonstrates CBP’s commitment to protecting our citizens from the threats posed by counterfeits,” said Brenda Smith, assistant commissioner, Office of International Trade. “Our officers and trade experts remain vigilant in detecting these violations and enforcing all trade laws.” The $12 million is the estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price if the trademark on the merchandise had been genuine. Included in the hundreds of shipments seized are team apparel with counterfeit NFL trademark. Operation Super Fake was led by CBP’s Mobile Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Team (MIPET), in partnership with the Apparel, Footwear and Textile Center of Excellence and Expertise, and the Area Port of Cleveland. CBP’s MIPET is a special task force of top intellectual property rights enforcement experts within the agency. They perform intellectual property rights enforcement operations on the front lines to prevent the entry of counterfeit goods into the United States.