FAKE COVID TESTS SEIZED AT S.D. AIRPORT

Two packages arriving on flight from Mexico contained 251 illicit kits

The shipment that arrived at the San Diego International Airport from Mexico was labeled as “plastic card.” Instead, the the two parcels held 251 illicit COVID-19 testing kits, authorities said this week.

The Dec. 1 seizure at the Port of San Diego is part of a larger trend seen at border crossings and commercial ports, as the black market rises to profit off the demand for testing.

Shipments of tests that are fake, mislabeled or not approved by the Food and Drug Administration have been seen since the early days of the pandemic, with port seizures reported in Rochester, N.Y., Chicago, Indianapolis and elsewhere.

At the Los Angeles Port of Entry in March, a parcel at the international airport’s mail facility was labeled “Purified Water Vials,” according to Customs and Border Protection. After further inspection, officers found vials filled with a white liquid and labeled “Corona Virus 2019nconv (COVID-19)” and “Virus1 Test Kit,” CBP said. The shipment had come from the United Kingdom.

At the Port of Baltimore, a shipment of tests was hidden under tea from China.

Federal authorities have also seen tests moving into Mexico. In

May, a Mexican man crossing south at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry was found to be carrying 1,000 counterfeit tests in a suitcase, according to CBP.

“Some appear to be exploiting the pandemic for financial gain, leaving the consumer at risk. These products may result in serious consequences to the consumer, whether that end user is in the United States or another country,” CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha said at the