CBP, ICE Donate $4.1 Million Worth of Shoes to Samaritan's Feet        
Written by Imperial Valley News    

Tuesday, 24 March 2009  

Los Angeles, California - United States Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles donated 153,540 pairs of shoes to Samaritan’s Feet, a non-profit charity organization.

The donation has an estimated domestic value of $4.1 million and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $16.8 million.

This is the second charity donation authorized by the legitimate trademark owner this year. The first donation took place last month and had an estimated domestic value of $8.1 million. “We are very happy to be able to donate the shoes and help the Samaritan’s Feet organization to meet their goal of providing shoes to 10 million individuals in the next 10 years,” said Kevin Weeks, CBP director of Los Angeles Field Operations.

All the shoes were intercepted and seized by CBP and ICE for bearing counterfeit trademarks. In fiscal year 2008, CBP and ICE seized over $272.7 million worth of counterfeit items nationwide. Footwear was the top commodity with a domestic value of $102.3 million, which accounted for 38 percent of the entire value of goods seized.

CBP is charged with enforcing trade laws and has devoted substantial resources to target, intercept, detain, seize and forfeit shipments of goods that violate these laws.

Once federal forfeiture procedures are completed, seized items may be donated to relief efforts and to charity, with the trademark owner’s approval. Products that threaten the health and safety of American consumers are destroyed.