PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have seized more than $1 million worth of counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers.
Officials say the fake stickers were shipped in two packages — one, on Nov. 26, with 10,000 parcels, and another on Dec. 9, with 12,000 — from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. This caught the attention of CBP inspectors at a DHL warehouse in Philadelphia.
"The initial reason they were suspicious was the fact that it came from a foreign country. It came from an address that really wasn't identifiable as a place that would be shipping inspection stickers,” said Chief CBP Officer Timothy Walinskas, who noted that Pennsylvania produces its own vehicle inspection stickers.
The parcels were seized on Dec. 16. Walinskas couldn't say who sent them or whether anyone was arrested.
Walinskas says this seizure improves safety on Pennsylvania roads and keeps profits away from criminal organizations.
The CBP says if the stickers had been legitimate, they'd be worth $1.4 million.