Just last weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) officers at the Chicago International Mail Branch (IMF) seized eight Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) badges and one FBI badge. Over the last two days, August 22 and 23, CBP officers found more counterfeit badges; this time officers intercepted 26 counterfeit DEA badges.
CBP inspected 25 parcels to determine the admissibility of the contents. Officers seized a total of 26 badges all destined for locations across the U.S to include: Washington, Iowa, Kentucky, Florida, California, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, and Illinois. These shipments were all arriving from China and were sent by the same shipper from the previous week.
“These seizures are an example of the vigilance demonstrated by CBP officers every day at our nation’s international mail facilities and express consignment operation hubs,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago. “Finding these and ensuring dangerous criminals can’t use these badges for illegal activity is further proof of how CBP protects our nations communities.”
“It is hard to know what dangerous and illicit activity these badges could have been used for,” said Shane Campbell, Area Port Director – Chicago. “Criminals could have used these badges in a variety of ways, and all would have had horrific outcomes.”
CBP officers coordinate findings with CBP’s Fraudulent Document Analysis Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal partners to combat any illicit activity.
