Federal agents are cracking down on counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise and illegal streaming sites ahead of Sunday’s game.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with postal service and customs officials, announced today they seized 42,692 items of fake Super Bowel merchandise worth almost $5 million.
In “Operation Fake Sweep,” which began in October, agents took fake t-shirts, jackets and hats from flea markets and sidewalk vendors worth about $4.8 million, they said at an NFL press conference.
Last year, they collected $3.72 million worth of merchandise, officials said.
But the Giants and Patriots weren’t the only team logos – almost 23,000 additional items were for baseball, basketball and hockey teams.
“In sports, players must abide by rules of the game, and in life, individuals must follow the laws of the land,” ICE director John Morton said about the bust.
More than 300 websites were also seized, and 16 had illegally streamed games online.
