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They may look like $18 million in world-class electric guitars. They’re a con, officials say

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official stands next to counterfeit Gibson guitars that were seized by authorities
Some of the more than the 3,000 fake Gibson guitars seized by authorities are on display Tuesday in Carson. It’s the largest counterfeit musical instrument seizure on record, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
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More than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars have been seized through the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex as part of a multiagency law enforcement investigation, making it the largest counterfeit musical instrument seizure on record, authorities announced Tuesday.

Africa Bell, port director for the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport, provided no details about suspects or details of the case because it remained active but said that the products — worth more than $18 million if they were legitimate — were probably destined for e-commerce.

Several red, black and orange electric guitars sat on stands and rested on tables as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced the seizure during a morning news conference in Carson.

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“These guitars you see on display around me and behind me may look real to you, but trust and believe they are not,” Bell said. “They are fraudulent, and they are part of a massive attempt to con the American consumer.”

Some of the counterfeit Gibson guitars that were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection are on display
The 3,000-plus Gibson guitars seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection were likely destined for e-commerce, according to authorities.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Bell said while most shipments comply with U.S. importation laws, many do not.

Some $544 million worth of illicit weed has been seized, but those on the front lines say the black market is ‘big and bad as ever.’

“Finding contraband illicit goods and revenue owed to the United States government in this massive amount of cargo arriving here every day is like trying to find the smallest of needles and the largest of haystacks,” she said. “It’s a significant undertaking. This past fiscal year we prevented the entry of over $2 billion worth of counterfeit products into the United States. This is the highest recorded value to date.”

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The case is being investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

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