MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Port of Memphis have been taking thousands of fake IDs daily in the past few months.
In the 2021 fiscal year, CBP officers in Memphis seized 3,487 fake IDs, while from Oct. 1, 2021, to Jan. 21, 2022, officers have seized 4,516.
According to a release, the intercepted shipments sometimes have one license or upwards of 20 or more. Most of the birth years on the licenses are 1999 or 2000, indicating the holder of the license is 21 years old or more, the legal drinking age nationwide.
While the licenses can be recognized as fake by officers, what truly marks them as fake is that they are being sent to various locations around the U.S. from southern China, where fake COVID vaccination cards are also originated.
Fake IDs found on Monday were for two 21-year-old Missouri women with a delivery address in Iowa. A much larger shipment on January 16 of 296 licenses representing a dozen states was taken in a shipment to Illinois from China.
"What these youngsters don’t realize is that they are contributing to a global criminal enterprise,” said Michael Neipert, Memphis Area Port Director. “They are funding the growth of a false identity industry, which breeds more lawlessness. They want to drink a couple of years earlier than they’re allowed to, but they may not know their fellow customers are criminals, scammers, and those who want to mask their identity for some reason, which is never good. My officers will continue to seize these, and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and hit the direct buyers and mid-level distributors.”
CBP officers said they intercept drugs, weapons, money, counterfeit goods, and other contraband at 328 international ports of entry, 365 days a year.
