Part of the counterfeit Apple product haul [Florence County Sheriff's Office]
A traffic stop in Pee Dee, South Carolina resulted in police seizing a haul of counterfeit Apple items valued at about $30,000.
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.
