23,000 Counterfeit Computer Mice Seized

Call it operation mouse trap.

In the largest seizure of its kind in the country, local and federal authorities have confiscated 23,000 counterfeit Microsoft mouse devices hidden in a self-storage unit in Huntington Beach.

Westminster police and federal investigators uncovered the allegedly imitation computer mice--which have a retail value of about $1 million--during raids conducted last week. The discovery came after a surveillance operation that led them from a Huntington Beach business to the Port of Long Beach and finally to the storage facility.

Detectives are examining whether the fake goods are linked to a suspected counterfeit ring worth hundreds of millions of dollars run by local organized crime.

“This is a very sophisticated operation,” said Westminster police Sgt. Marcus Frank. “Not only did they counterfeit the mice but they counterfeited the boxes that the product goes into.”

At first, police believed the equipment was stolen but genuine. Another inspection, they said, proved otherwise.

Officials with the giant software company confirmed that the haul is the largest seizure of imitation Microsoft mouse components in North America.

The seizure, by a strike team of investigators from Westminster police, the FBI and U.S. Customs, also intercepted a Taiwan-bound shipment of 1,700 pairs of Italian designer shoes stolen last year from a cargo warehouse in Oakland.

Police said they believe the counterfeiters may have traded fake goods for the stolen shoes and intended to sell the boots illegally in Taiwan for as much as $500,000. No arrests have been made.