Germany seizes nearly 1M knockoff Nikes

Germany impounds massive haul of counterfeit sneakers, including nearly 1M knockoff Nikes

November 14, 2006 10:05 AM

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - German customs officers have seized what they said could be the world's largest haul of counterfeit goods, including nearly 1 million pairs of knockoff Nike sneakers.

The customs department in the northern port of Hamburg said it had confiscated a total of 117 shipping containers filled with fake goods since the end of August.

The equivalent amount of genuine branded goods would be worth about 383 million euros ($490 million), it said in a statement.

The goods included 101 containers loaded with 945,384 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers, and 10 more containers with about 105,000 pairs of fake Adidas and Puma sports shoes. Also impounded were 76,760 knockoff watches and 1,454 toys.

The goods were shipped to Hamburg from Asia and were destined for recipients at addresses - some of them fictitious - in Italy, Austria and Hungary.

The customs department said it was up to brand-name holders such as Nike Inc. to take further legal steps against the suspected smugglers.

Contractors have begun shredding the estimated 1,500 tons of shoes and textiles and trucking the waste to incineration facilities for disposal.