The Biggest Counterfeit Sneaker Busts of All Time

Whether people buy them knowingly or unwittingly, counterfeit sneakers constitute a massive global industry.

In 2023, total revenue for counterfeit sneakers was estimated at $599 billion, well ahead of the $398 billion generated in legitimate shoe revenue, according to a report from RunRepeat. StockX alone indicated it had prevented $10 million worth of fake sneakers from passing through its platform in 2024.

Resale platforms such as StockX have invested heavily in their authentication processes, and Nike has been reported on several instances to have worked with law enforcement agencies across the world in an effort to snuff out counterfeiters.

As major counterfeit sneaker busts have become more routine, Footwear News is taking a look at the largest such operations that have been discovered. In most cases, the value of the sneakers seized is estimated by using the price the sneakers would have gone for had they’d been legitimate.

Take a look at the 10 biggest fake sneaker busts below.

$2.6 Million (2018)

Portland resident James Pepion was convicted in 2018 of selling counterfeit sneakers netting him $2.6 million from 2012 to 2015. Nike had received complaints about the sneakers sold by Pepion and worked with federal officials on an investigation that led to the interception of 649 pairs of counterfeit Air Jordans headed to him. Pepion received a year and six-month sentence for the crime.

$4 Million (2024)

French police confiscated 27,000 pairs of counterfeit sneakers including Nike Air Force 1s and Air Max Pluses. It reportedly took the police more than a day to count all the sneakers, which were intended to be sold at a local flea market.

$4.3 Million (2020)

1,800 fake pairs of the Dior x Air Jordan 1 were seized in Dallas as part of a larger shipment of counerfeit sneakers worth a total of $4.3 million. Retail prices for the high-end collaboration were set at $2,000, with resale prices at as much as five times higher.

$7 Million (2007)

A Staten Island couple sold undercover officers 160,000 pairs of bootleg Nike sneakers worth $7 million, leading to the takedown of an operation involving fake headphones and software. Police said the sneakers seized alone filled 18 tractor-trailers.

$28 Million (2023)

Filipino customs agents seized 2.2 million pairs of fake Nike sneakers two years ago worth an estimated $28.1 million. Nike’s Asia Pacific Brand Protection team praised the Philippines’ Bureau of Customs “for its exceptional efforts,” as reported by Sourcing Journal.

$31 Million (2007)

New York City police officers seized 291,699 pairs of fake Nike sneakers in two Brooklyn warehouses worth more than $31 million. Other fake goods found — including sunglasses, handbags and jackets — brought the total value of the bust up to $700 million.

$32 Million (2016)

Chilean customs officials seized a shipment containing 16,454 counterfeit sneakers from brands including Adidas and Nike worth an estimated $31,786,395, as reported by FN in 2016.

$73 Million (2018)

Five people in New York were charged with trafficking $73 million worth of counterfeit Air Jordans. A joint investigation by federal and state officials involved inspecting nearly 27,000 pairs of sneakers, and it was estimated that the group imported nearly 500,000 pairs of fake sneakers and engaged in $73 million worth of sales. The shoes would arrive from China without any branding, which would then be added in Brooklyn and Queens before going on sale.

$472 Million (2022)

A 2022 bust 10 years in the making led to the unusually large seizure of 22 containers full of fake Nike and Louis Vuitton sneakers worth $472 million. The international counterfeiting operation was linked to a total of 129 shipping containers of fake shoes. Chinese citizen Qingfu Zeng was arrested after he had told an informant of multiple shipment arrivals that were inspected to by federal authorities and confirmed to contain fake goods.

$5.5 Billion (2024)

Pandabuy, a massive and well-known counterfeit sneaker platform, was raided by Shanghai police last year. Millions of packages were discovered with more than 90 percent containing shoes from well-known brands, the estimated value of which hasn’t been disclosed. Authorities did estimate, however, that Pandabuy generated $5.5 billion in revenue in 2023 alone.