Vietnam customs officers have seized more than 1,000 Apple-branded AirPods found to be counterfeit in a transit shipment, with the estimated value of the goods, if genuine, exceeding VND 5.35 billion (USD 205,769).
The case was detected at Hoa Lu International Border Gate when AL Co Ltd, based in Hanoi, was transporting a transit consignment from China to Cambodia.
According to the customs declaration opened at Huu Nghi International Border Gate, the shipment was moved across Vietnam for export to a neighbouring country. However, a physical inspection uncovered 1,000 sets of AirPods that were not listed in the declared cargo.
At the time of inspection, the company’s representative failed to provide any authorisation documents from Apple, a trademark under strict legal protection in Vietnam. Customs officers took samples and sent the entire shipment for examination. The assessment confirmed that all the AirPods were counterfeit, violating regulations governing the transit of goods that infringe intellectual property rights.
Authorities determined that the value of the shipment, if the products had been genuine, would have reached VND 5.35 billion (USD 205,769), while the assessed value of the seized goods was VND 545.9 million (USD 20,996).
Based on current regulations, the customs authority imposed an administrative fine of VND 440 million (USD 16,923) on AL Co Ltd and confiscated the entire shipment of more than 1,000 fake AirPods for destruction in accordance with the law.
At the same time, the anti-smuggling investigation division, working with relevant units, inspected another shipment belonging to HK Co. The goods were declared as Lambert and Butler cigarettes and sent to the Transimex bonded warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, before being transported independently to Cai Mep SSIT port for export to the United Kingdom.
The inspection found a total of 472 cases of cigarettes, equivalent to 472,000 packs or more than 9.4 million cigarettes, with no origin information displayed on the packaging.
The trademark rights holder, Technology Transfer and Investment Consulting Co Ltd, confirmed that the goods were counterfeit Lambert and Butler products. The total retail value of the shipment in the United Kingdom, if genuine, was estimated at VND 254.7 billion (USD 9.80 million).
