The cigarettes were estimated to be worth $6,000.
40,000 pieces of fake Rayban, Oakley, Nike, Gucci and Prada sunglasses were destroyed, along with fake Louis Vuitton men and women’s bags, at the Division of Customs office by a team led by Lt. Ricardo Camacho.
According to Customs acting director Capt. John B. Cepeda, the goods were confiscated from arriving passengers at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport in the last six months.
Some of the cigarettes were in violation of the Labeling Act while the rest were the excess from the amount permitted per tourist.
A tourist can only to bring in one carton of non-U.S. cigarettes.
The sun glasses, wallets and bags were inspected by Duty Free Shop, which told Customs that these were counterfeit items.
A seized Louie Vuitton bag, whose authentic counterpart sells for $500 in DFS, was supposed to be sold for $5 only according to an invoice recovered along with the item.
Most of the items, Cepeda said, originated from China and the Philippines.
Cepeda is asking members of the public that if they plan to buy items from off-island, they should ask Customs first which items they can bring back to the CNMI.
Those who bring in unpermitted items can be fined from $1,000 to $10,000 and face serious charges, he said.
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