Customs agency destroys US$60-million worth of counterfeit goods
Customs agency destroys US$60-million worth of counterfeit goods
July 5, 2021
APPROXIMATELY US$60-million worth of counterfeit goods, which breached intellectual property rights, were yesterday destroyed by Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) which had seized them after arrival into the island.
The 13 containers of counterfeit brands, including Kipling assorted bags, and fake brands of Jordan, Puma, Adidas and Nike shoes, were destroyed with an industrial shredder provided by the British High Commission at a warehouse in the Corporate Area.
Director of the agency’s Contraband Enforcement Team (CET), Albert Anderson, told the Jamaica Observer that the fake brands, which were seized in 2017, are now being destroyed due to the lengthy process which was impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“They are intellectual property rights infringing products which means they are not created by the owners of the copyright. They are basically counterfeit items coming out of China. It is a lengthy process because you have to give the persons who are importing these goods time to prove which goods are actually genuine and not counterfeit,” he said.
The process, he said, involves detection, detention, seizure and forfeiture of goods. Anderson added that permission is then sought from Ministry of Finance and Public Service to allow destruction.
“Had it not been for novel coronavirus pandemic, these goods would have probably been disposed of from last year,” he said, noting that the destruction should be completed by next week.
Explaining how the shredder works, Anderson said a total of 10 pairs of sneakers can be added and destroyed in one minute.
