FORT FRANCES, Ont -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized nearly $600,000 worth of toy airplanes that were transported across the Canadian border at Fort Frances.
American authorities earlier this month inspected a rail container carrying 36,000 toys, and determined that they were counterfeit.
They say that neither the importer nor the manufacturer was licensed to display trademarks or manufacture the merchandise.
The packaging describes the toys as die cast metal with pull-back action, and safe for children aged three and over.
Officials say the merchandise, which had an aggregate manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $575,000 U.S., violated multiple laws and regulations.
In a news release announcing the seizure, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said "unscrupulous companies have profited billions of dollars from the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods."
A spokesperson at the International Falls Port of Entry told Tbnewswatch that the rail shipment originated in a British Columbia port.
