: News

Filed Under:

$1.5 Million In Counterfeit Goods Seized At Popular D.C. Farmers Market

December 15, 2009
Play associated audio
comments
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put on display a sample of the 700,000 counterfeit items that were seized during Operation Holiday Hoax -- a week-long nationwide crackdown on the illegal retail trade which netted nearly $1.7 million worth of counterfeit items in the D.C. area.
Mana Rabiee
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement put on display a sample of the 700,000 counterfeit items that were seized during Operation Holiday Hoax -- a week-long nationwide crackdown on the illegal retail trade which netted nearly $1.7 million worth of counterfeit items in the D.C. area.

By Mana Rabiee

Law enforcement officers say a seizure of counterfeit goods at a popular farmers market in D.C. is just the start of an "unprecedented" crackdown on the illegal retail trade.

A farmers market may not be the typical location for organized crime activity but that's just what law enforcement say occurred at the D.C. Farmers Market on Florida Ave near 6th Street Northeast.

The seizure netted nearly 12,000 counterfeit items with a street value of almost $1.5 million.

It was part of Operation Holiday Hoax -- a joint effort by local and federal agencies to crackdown on counterfeit goods during the holiday shopping season.

Special Agent John Torres oversaw the operation in D.C.

"This is just the first phase of the investigation. We usually start with the seizures and we now have a number of leads to focus our investigation on the organizations that actually bring these items into the country," says Torres.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says no local arrests were made.

In a separate seizure, nearly $300,000 in counterfeit items were found at a Hi-Mart in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

Nutrition Group Says Chocolate Milk Is OK, No Need For Aspartame

The nation's largest group of nutritionists is urging the FDA to reject the dairy industry's petition to change the definition of milk. The petition aims to allow aspartame or other alternatives to be used to sweeten milk in an effort to boost consumption in schools.

Politics

NPR

Former IRS Head To Senate: It Wasn't My Fault

Douglas Shulman, who led the IRS during the years when agency workers targeted tax-exempt applications from conservative groups, did his best to deflect accusations from unhappy senators.

Technology

NPR

Microsoft Reveals New Xbox One Game System

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One Tuesday, displaying a device that takes new steps in game consoles' journey into becoming all-purpose entertainment and communication devices. The new console replaces the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for more than seven years.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.