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Homeland Security Investigations
Counterfeit 3M N95 masks seized earlier this year.
About 622,000 counterfeit masks were seized Thursday from a warehouse in Detroit that were destined for a local hospital system.
The seizure was connected to an ongoing investigation of a Chinese company that has been selling fake masks throughout the country, Vance Callender, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio,
told The Detroit News.
An unidentified hospital system spent roughly $3.5 million for the counterfeit 3M N95 masks.
Investigators discovered the masks in Detroit after examining the Chinese company’s import records to the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security has seized millions of counterfeit 3M N95 masks sent to the U.S. since the pandemic began. In June, Homeland Security Investigations seized
more than 2 million fake 3M masks.
“The sale of counterfeit masks and other personal-protective equipment constitute a serious threat to anyone who relies on PPE to protect themselves during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, who oversees HSI operations in New England, said at the time.
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