Dulles CBP officers seize over 2,000 cartons of counterfeit Camel cigarettes from Singapore

STERLING, Va. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 2,250 cartons of counterfeit Camel cigarettes at Washington Dulles International Airport on August 14, that if authentic, would have been worth over $400,000.

Counterfeit cigarettes pose a health risk to smokers, deprives tobacco companies of profits, and steals tax revenues.

CBP officers initially inspected the shipment, which arrived at Dulles airport from Singapore through Japan on July 11. The shipment contained 45 boxes labeled “Camel Yellow Cigarettes,” and were destined to an address in Miami. Each box contained 50 cartons of Camel branded cigarettes.

CBP officers detained the shipment and conducted additional research due to the unusual logo design, markings, and the odd shipment routing. Camel cigarettes are manufactured by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, N.C.

CBP officers intercepted 2,250 cartons of counterfeit Camel cigarettes destined to Miami.

CBP officers consulted trade experts at CBP’s Agriculture and Prepared Products Center of Excellence and Expertise who contacted R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for authentication assistance. R.J. Reynolds confirmed that the cigarettes were not genuine products.

CBP’s trade experts appraised the shipment of 2,250 cartons of Camel cigarettes at $404,842, had the cigarettes been authentic.

“Counterfeit cigarettes deprive the United States of tax revenue and pose a serious health concern to smokers who have no idea what, if any, dangerous chemicals they are actually inhaling with the tobacco,” said Area Port Director Christine Waugh, CBP Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Intercepting counterfeit products is a Customs and Border Protection trade enforcement priority and one way in which we can help keep consumers safe.”

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program. The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It steals revenues from trademark holders, steals tax revenues from the government, funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.

During fiscal year 2025, CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigations special agents seized nearly 78,400,000 shipments containing goods that violated IPR, which equates to nearly 25 million counterfeit goods. The total estimated MSRP of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was over $7.4 billion (USD), or an average of over $20 million every day.

Media can search for additional enforcement details by viewing CBP’s IPR webpage or by viewing previous years’ annual counterfeit goods seizure reports.

U.S. trademark and copyright owners can record their intellectual property with CBP to receive border protection at https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/. CBP officers and its trade experts use the e-Recordation database to enforce registered and recorded trademarks and copyrights on imported merchandise at our nation’s ports of entry.

To report suspected counterfeits, visit CBP’s online e-Allegations portal or call 1-800-BE-ALERT. More information about counterfeit goods is available on CBP’s Truth Behind Counterfeits website and StopFakes.gov.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.

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