Police find $30,000 in fake Apple products during traffic stop

Part of the seizure of counterfeit Apple products (Florence County Sheriff’s Office)

A traffic stop in Pee Dee, South Carolina, resulted in police seizing a shipment of counterfeit Apple items worth approximately $30,000.

Umberto Cardinale, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested and charged with transporting and distributing counterfeit goods worth between $10,000 and $50,000.

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

In March, Northern Ireland police seized more than 20,000 counterfeit devices in two raids in Belfast, worth $750,000. Meanwhile, in June, five men were charged in connection with a counterfeiting ring that stole $12.3 million worth of Apple products by “bringing” counterfeits to Apple stores in California.