Port of Los Angeles From the San Pedro Waterfront. Photo by Steve Boland, on Creative Commons
LONG BEACH — On Jan. 27 the Department of Justice reported nine people were arrested and charged in connection to an underground smuggling operation that brought at least $200 million worth of illegal goods from China into the United States though the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.
The DOJ charged the nine defendants with conspiracy, smuggling and breaking customs seals. The indictment alleges between August 2023 and June 2024, the defendants took containers flagged for off-site secondary inspection, unloaded the contraband and replaced it with filler cargo to deceive customs and law enforcement.
Law enforcement seized more than $130 million in counterfeit or illegal goods. It is believed that the organization is responsible for smuggling at least $200 million worth of goods.
To date, law enforcement has seized more than $1.3 billion worth of counterfeit goods associated with this organization and other similar schemes.
Seven defendants were arrested Jan 24 and an eighth was taken into custody Jan. 26.
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