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Federal agents in Texas seized more than 100,000 counterfeit medical masks near the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this month -- a shipment that was intended for U.S. hospital workers on the East Coast, authorities said Wednesday.
Officers at the Ysleta Cargo Facility in El Paso intercepted the shipment of counterfeit 3M N95 masks on Dec. 3, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.
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The phony PPE, worth about $600,000, was in transit to a hospital on the East Coast, according to the agency. The hospital and its exact location were not mentioned in the statement.
The shipment contained 100,080 counterfeit 3M N95 medical masks, the agency said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Special agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) worked with the 3M Company to determine that the masks were fake, the agency said.
“This large seizure of counterfeit surgical masks, destined for frontline medical workers, demonstrates the great collaborative effort between CBP and HIS,” said Ysleta Port Director Arnoldo Gomez.
The masks were destined for a hospital on the East Coast where medical workers are fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, the agency said. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
CPB and ICE, both agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, launched “Operation Stolen Promises” in April to protect Americans from fraud related to COVID-19.
The initiative has so far resulted in more than $28 million in illicit proceeds seized, nearly $20 million in disrupted transactions and recovered funds, and 187 arrests, according to the DHS.
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“We will continue to aggressively investigate, arrest and prosecute criminal counterfeiters who show a total disregard for human life and take advantage of a relentless world pandemic for economic gain,” said Erik P. Breitzke, acting special agent in charge of ICE HSI El Paso.
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