French Customs Destroys 38,000 Counterfeit Trainers After 15-Year Case

Nearly 38,000 pairs of counterfeit trainers seized from containers arriving from China in 2011 were destroyed in Le Havre on 3 June. The shoes had remained in storage while a French importer faced legal proceedings that concluded in December 2025. The importer received a customs fine of 1.56 million euros, an additional 260,000 euros for customs-related money laundering, and a three-year prison sentence with two years suspended.

Seizure and storage The trainers were held at a secure site in Le Havre, France's main container port. Customs officers stated that the goods could not be resold or redistributed under French law.

Destruction process Two mobile cranes crushed the shoes before they entered a shredder at a specialist facility contracted by customs. The resulting material will be incinerated with energy recovery at a local plant. Last year, French customs seized more than 20 million counterfeit items nationwide, with nearly 1.2 million seized in Le Havre alone.

Officials noted that counterfeit goods often fail safety standards and may contain hazardous materials.