Cops find $30k of fake Apple products in PA traffic stop

AppleInsider

A traffic stop in Pee Dee, South Carolina resulted in police seizing a haul of counterfeit Apple items valued at about $30,000.

Part of the counterfeit Apple product haul [Florence County Sheriff's Office]

On July 16, Deputies in the Florence County Sheriff's Office pulled over a car for speeding on Interstate 95. The fateful traffic stop resulted in the discovery of a haul of fake Apple products.

Deputies searched the car as part of the stop, and discovered around $30,000 in counterfeit Apple goods, according to WMBF News. The collection included a hefty supply of AirPods.

Umberto Cardinale, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested and charged with the transportation and distribution of counterfeit goods valued at between $10,000 and $50,000.

As a felony, Cardinale faces up to five years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $20,000, or both.

Cardinale has been booked into the Florence County Detention Center, and awaits a bond hearing.

The value of the counterfeit goods at the traffic stop is relatively low value compared to some other fake Apple product reports earlier in 2024.

In March, Northern Ireland police seized over 20,000 counterfeit devices in two raids in Belfast, hauling in goods valued at $750,000. Meanwhile in June, five men were indicted in a counterfeit ring that stole $12.3 million in Apple products by "returning" counterfeits to California Apple Store locations.



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charlesn

All this counterfeit Apple stuff sure helps explain the flood of "new in box" Apple Airpod Pro 2 buds now selling for $40-ish and even less from a bunch of different sellers on ebay--and each seller seems to have dozens of them available. 

ljbyrne

Why does the headline for the article say "in PA"? The bust took place in South Carolina not Pennsylvania.

charlesn

Just noticing that the product featured most prominently in the photo by far in this bust of "Apple counterfeit products" is, in fact, a no-name wired earphone that is clearly not an Apple product. How is it even "counterfeit" without a brand name? They might be stolen goods, but I'm surprised thieves even take the risk for a product of such low value. 

beowulfschmidt

charlesn said:

Just noticing that the product featured most prominently in the photo by far in this bust of "Apple counterfeit products" is, in fact, a no-name wired earphone that is clearly not an Apple product. How is it even "counterfeit" without a brand name? They might be stolen goods, but I'm surprised thieves even take the risk for a product of such low value. 

The boxes with the Apple logo on them could conceivably be counterfeits, or stolen, but I have no clue how "Earphone [illegible]" or "Smart Watch" could be so considered, unless there's Apple branding elsewhere on the box.

My guess is that being caught with "counterfeit" goods is a more serious charge than possessing stolen goods, so that's how the whole batch is framed.