LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the second time in a week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have seized an overwhelming amount of counterfeit driver's licenses in Louisville.
CBP officers discovered 2,265 fraudulent IDs inside an inbound package at Louisville's Port of Entry, according to a press release.
On Oct. 12, CBP seized another package that contained 1,094 fake driver’s licenses. In total, officers have seized 3,359 fake IDs within one week.
Counterfeit documents can be used by college students under the age of 21, to enter a bar or business that sells and serves alcohol. According to CBP, students put themselves at risk when purchasing these fake documents.
“These counterfeit driver’s licenses can lead to disastrous consequences,” Thomas Mahn, Port Director-Louisville, said. “Criminal organizations use these counterfeit IDs to avoid attracting attention to their illegal activities.”
The shipment reportedly contained driver’s licenses from all over the U.S. All the driver’s licenses were concealed inside the shipment manifested as postcards to avoid detection. The licenses reportedly arrived from Hong Kong.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of Field Operations-Chicago Field Office, said counterfeit IDs are often linked to terrorists, human trafficking and other illegal and dangerous activities.
“Our officers are trained to identify many different kinds of fake or illegally modified documents, and they work 24/7 to stop them from coming into the country,” Sutton-Burke said.
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