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14th Sep 2020

US Customs hails seizure of nearly $400,000 worth of ‘fake’ Apple Airpods that are actually OnePlus Buds

Conor Heneghan

OnePlus

You had one job…

Just under $400,000 worth of supposedly fake Apple Airpods seized by US customs at JFK Airport last week are actually official products manufactured by Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus.

A press release from US Customs Border and Protection hailing the seizure on Friday included images of the 2,000 products that had been dispatched from Hong Kong and were bound for Nevada before being seized at an air cargo facility at JFK Airport in New York.

If the merchandise were genuine, the press release read, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been $398,000 (approximately €335,000).

“CBP Officers are protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis,” said Troy Miller, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations.

“The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily.”

If the pictures included in the press release are anything to go by, however, then the merchandise is indeed genuine and is manufactured by OnePlus, a pretty well-known Chinese smartphone manufacturer established in 2013.

Images via US Customs and Border Protection

While OnePlus has not issued any statement on the matter, it did reply to a tweet from the official US Border and Customs Protection account when it reiterated the details of the seizure on Sunday…

Oops!

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