NEW YORK — (NYPD NEWS) — Thursday night, NYPD detectives and federal agents carted out box after box of fake smartphones.
There were thousands of counterfeit smartphones valued at approximately $7 million.
“These products are dangerous. They are not what the manufacturer produced in a safe manner,” said Chief Brian McCarthy, NYPD Criminal Enterprise Division.
The investigation began months ago when customs officers at Kennedy airport spotted the shipments arriving from China. That led to a nine month joint investigation involving Homeland Security investigations, Customs and Border Protection and the NYPD.
On Thursday night, teams of officers raided two locations in the Gravesend section of Brooklyn.
