Tonight, staggering images of a billion dollar bust,
one that federal authorities are calling the largest seizure of
counterfeit goods in U.S.
history. Inside, multiple storage units raided by Homeland Security and
the NYPD cluttered shelves packed with nearly 220,000 knockoff purses,
clothes and accessories. It hurts people and it's not innocent.
The fake bags rip offs of high end brands including
Louis Vuitton,
Burberry, Gucci and Marc Jacobs.
This bag, a knock off of a Christian Dior tote
bag,
sells for more than $3000.
NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban saying in a press release quote
the trafficking of counterfeit goods is anything but a victimless
crime because it harms legitimate businesses,
governments and consumers. It's a dangerous business.
These are there's some dangerous people involved in it and.
To go down there and buy these goods,
it's not victimless. You can become a victim.
2 people, 38 year old Adama So and 48 year
old Abdullah Jala are accused of running the black market
business out of this storage facility this year from January
to October. The unsealed indictments show they're each charged with
trafficking and counterfeit goods which can carry up to 10
years in prison.
An attorney for SO declined to comment.
NBC News has not yet heard back from Jawa's attorney.
Counterfeiting experts say they hope consumers think twice before buying
any knock off merchandise because they can't be sure where
the money is going or how the products are being
produced. You hope that they would think twice of where
that money's going.
And also, you know, forced childhood.
Some of these goods are made in the most squalid
conditions.
I've been there in China and they're made in these
squalor conditions with sometimes little little children working there.
They're working 1618 hours a day.
That's terrible. Steven Romo joins us now.
Steve, this was a massive bust,
more than a billion dollars according to police,
but only two suspects. Yeah,
that's the interesting part. Right now,
the investigation, though still ongoing,
they're not named anymore suspects or potential suspects.
But the expert we talked to saying that it seems
logical that with that amount of money moving that many
goods,
you have to have more than just two people.
In the mix here, so possibly more suspects to come.