US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Officers are up against a flood of counterfeit World Cup merchandise and forbidden foreign food arriving at US Border Ports of Entry. As of last week, the CBP has reported more than 900 seizures of knock-off World Cup clothing & other merchandise worth more than $13 million dollars.
Recent seizures of fake FIFA gear include a large shipment of knock-offs arriving in Los Angeles, worth around $850,000, that included counterfeit Nike, Adidas, and FC Barcelona clothing.
At Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, CBP Officers confiscated several large shipments of fake FIFA soccer jerseys and shorts arriving from Mexico & China. The DFW CBP Officers said they identified the merch as fakes right away due to their obvious poor quality.
CBP Agents are also encountering more foreign travelers arriving at US Airports for the games, with food and other products forbidden from entry into America by the US Agriculture Department.
On May 28, 2026, CBP agriculture detector dog Valen, a 3-year-old female Beagle, alerted to the baggage of a traveler from Vietnam arriving in Washington, DC. During a secondary examination, CBP agriculture specialists discovered over 13 pounds of pork products and nearly 16 pounds of fruits and vegetables.
Vietnam has experienced recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever, a highly contagious and deadly viral disease that could significantly impact the U.S. pork industry. The U.S. is the world’s third-largest pork producer and exports pork products to over 100 countries.
The fruits and vegetables in those travelers’ baggage were also seized and destroyed to prevent the entry of invasive insect pests that could impact our nation’s crop industries.
On June 2, 2026, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 15 pounds of canned ruminant meat in the baggage of a Tunisian traveler arriving at DC’s Dulles International Airport who declared that he had lamb and beef during a secondary examination. The traveler stated that his mother cooked and canned the ruminant meat before he traveled to the U.S.
Tunisia has experienced episodes of Lumpy Skin Disease, Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, and Bovine Tuberculosis, all highly contagious viral diseases of livestock.
CBP Agents are also increasingly seizing forbidden “African Bushmeat” being brought into the US by arriving International passengers. Recent large seizures have been reported by CBP Officers in Minneapolis (who seized bushmeat and fish from Ghana) and CBP Officers in Chicago (who seized bushmeat, fish, & forbidden fruit arriving from Liberia).
CBP Officers each day are averaging the seizure of 4,691 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and the interception of 222 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry.
Are you surprised at all the counterfeit gear and forbidden food being brought into the US from abroad during the World Cup games?
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Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
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