Over 11,000 counterfeit Labubu dolls worth $500,000 seized at Seattle airport: CBP
Plush dolls Labubu are displayed inside a craw machine on September 2, 2025, in Hong Kong, China. (Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images)
(SEATTLE) — Over 11,000 counterfeit Labubus — the dolls that have recently exploded in global popularity — were seized at Seattle’s airport, with officials estimating their worth to be over half a million dollars, according to a Customs and Border Protection spokesperson.
“Fake Labubus are not welcome in America. Thanks for the good catch Seattle!” CBP said on X on Friday.
The bust occurred on Aug. 26 when CBP officers assigned to Seattle Air Cargo at Sea Tac began searching a shipment from South Korea that was “falsely manifested as ‘LED Bulb,'” a CBP spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. Inside the boxes, officials found 11,134 counterfeit Labubu dolls — also known as “Lafufus” — with a manufacturer suggested retail price of $513,937.76, CBP said.
The shipment of dolls, which breached federal laws of importation and merchandise involved in copyright or trademark violations, was destroyed by officers, the spokesperson said.
There have not been any charges or arrests made for the counterfeit shipment, but the “smugglers engaged in this contraband attempt have incurred in a significant economic loss by having their products seized by the U.S. government,” the spokesperson said.
Brian Humphrey, the director of field operations for the CBP Seattle field office, said officers are “still on the lookout for the one and only 24K GOLD Labubu.”
Labubus, which debuted in China in 2015, have exploded in popularity this year, with revenue for Pop Mart — the company behind the dolls — reaching $1.8 billion in 2024, according to the company’s annual financial report.
While the dolls retail for about $30, they can go for hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars on the resale market.
The dolls counterfeit alternative, “Lafufus,” are typically made with lower-quality materials and may have different features than authentic Labubus.
This bust in Seattle comes after dozens of boxes of Labubus, totaling around $7,000, were stolen from a California store last month, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
ABC News’ Alondra Valle contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada continues to bring dangerous air quality conditions to parts of the northern United States, with hazy and smoky skies also possible for the East and South.
As of Tuesday, there are 208 active wildfires burning in Canada, with 107 of these considered to be “out of control,” meaning fires that are being observed and assessed, but not immediately suppressed, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
The haze from the wildfires — which was seen all the way to the Gulf Coast on Monday — will continue to travel into the East and the South on Tuesday, bringing a lightly tinted sunset in the Northeast.
There are not currently any air quality alerts for the East or South since the smoke is expected to stay below the surface, but potentially dangerous conditions are expected in Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
On Tuesday morning, Minneapolis was among the top 10 worst air quality conditions in the world. While the entire state of Minnesota is under an air quality alert until Wednesday afternoon, eastern Minnesota is expected to reach an “unhealthy” air quality index, or level four of six on the AQI Index.
In these conditions, most people could experience irritated eyes, nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness or shortness of breath, the pollution control agency said.
Rain on Tuesday should alleviate the poor air quality briefly, but there is a chance for additional heavy smoke later Tuesday afternoon, especially from Duluth to Minneapolis.
Air quality conditions should improve on Wednesday across Minnesota as the smoke continues to move east.
As of Tuesday, the areas of Canada with the most fires include British Columbia with 74 and Alberta with 16, according to the CIFFC.
Last week, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba declared state of emergencies due to the fires, with around 17,000 residents already evacuated, according to The Associated Press.
The combination of dry conditions and “little-to-no precipitation” will continue to feed the flames and make it difficult for officials to manage the fires, Saskatchewan Public Safety said on Sunday.
During a press conference on Monday, Saskatchewan Public Safety discouraged any nonessential travel due to the significant fire activity.
Aircraft and dozens of personnel from other Canadian provinces and the United States — including Arizona, Oregon and Alaska — are being sent to help fight the wildfires, according to the Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.
Moe said last week there has been a “significant lack of moisture” in the northern parts of the province, causing “over 200 wildfires” in Saskatchewan this spring.
(NEW YORK) — A fire at plant in Louisiana continues to burn and an evacuation order within a 1-mile radius of the facility remains in place following an explosion Friday, officials said at a press conference.
As of Saturday, 42 people are at a shelter, according to officials. About 800 residents were affected by the explosion, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker said in an update.
The fire was 90% contained by Saturday evening, response officials said in a press release posted by the Louisiana State Police.
“Response crews have worked diligently throughout the day and will continue operations through the night to strengthen containment and support recovery efforts,” the release said.
In a Sunday update, the Louisiana State Police said the fire was still 90% contained and that the mandatory 1-mile radius evacuation remained in effect.
“Overnight, additional resources, including specialized heavy equipment, arrived. Response crews began removing structural debris and addressing covered hotspots. A containment berm is being established around the site, and recovery operations will continue throughout the day,” the Sunday statement said.
The statement added that “environmental response efforts” were underway to address the fire’s potential effect on the nearby Tangipahoa River and adjacent waterways. It also said that “all air monitoring results have shown either non-detectable readings or levels well below health-based or actionable thresholds,” and that “continuous air monitoring remains in place.”
“To date, no injuries have been reported. Nearly 150 personnel are engaged in field operations, representing all levels of government and contracted support,” Sunday’s Louisiana State Police update further said.
Though most chose to follow the evacuation, some of the residents within the one-mile evacuation zone chose to stay, Sticker said Friday. Deputies were maintaining a perimeter as firefighters continued to fight the fire.
Residents have been asked to to avoid direct contact with soot as a result of the fire as it is believed to contains both combustibles and hydrocarbon chemicals, Louisiana State Police Sgt. William Huggins said Saturday.
Authorities asked residents to remain indoors when possible, wash hands frequently, avoid touching their face and avoid direct contact with the soot.
Officials said they are are aware of debris in the Tangipahoa River and said water samples will be collected for environmental impact analysis. What is exactly in the soot is also under investigation.
The most recent air quality readings indicated results “below an actionable threshold” at this time, Huggins said Saturday.
Overnight a number of small explosions occurred, consistent with what has been happening since the beginning of the fire, Huggins said.
The incident occurred at Smitty’s Supply, a lubricant manufacturer located in Roseland in Tangipahoa Parish, local officials said. A large plume of smoke could be seen following the explosion.
The explosion was reported shortly before 1 p.m. local time Friday, according to Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller.
The Tangipahoa Parish government ordered a mandatory evacuation for those in the immediate area, which then expanded to within a 1-mile radius of the plant.
The sheriff’s office said any residents that need to return home for medication or pets should coordinate with their department to receive an escort.
“Relocate IMMEDIATELY and stay away from this area until further notice,” the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said on X.
An elementary school located within the evacuation zone evacuated students to a location in Amite City.
No injuries have been reported, “which is a godsend,” Miller said at a press briefing late Friday afternoon.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has been monitoring the environment, Miller said. It’s unclear what caused the explosion, he said.
Smitty’s Supply manufacturers and distributes lubricant, including motor oils, according to its website. About 400 people work at the plant, according to Miller.
Highway 51 at Highway 10 in Roseland closed following the explosion.
“We are monitoring this situation closely. Please follow the guidance of your local officials,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement on X. “We are praying for everyone’s safety.”
(SURF CITY, NC) — Tropical storm warnings have been extended up to Surf City, North Carolina, as Tropical Storm Chantal is offshore from the southeastern U.S. on Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm has maximum sustained wind of up to 45 mph and is moving north at just 3 mph.
The center of the storm is located about 105 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms from Chantal’s outer bands are impacting portions of the South and North Carolina coastline Saturday afternoon along with increasing rough surf and dangerous rip currents.
Chantal is forecasted to continue tracking north towards South Carolina later Saturday, where it is forecast to make landfall on South Carolina on Sunday morning as a weak tropical storm.
Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin Saturday evening for portions of the Carolina coastline from South Santee River to Surf City, where the Tropical Storm Warning is in effect.
Tropical storm conditions are possible beginning later today south of the South Santee River to Edisto Beach in South Carolina where the Tropical Storm Watch is in effect.
Heavy rainfall across the coastal Carolinas will cause some flash flooding through Monday, with storm total rainfall of 2 to 4 inches and local amounts up to 6 inches expected for the Carolinas.
Chantal will bring minor storm surge for parts of the Carolina coastline, with between 1 to 3 feet of storm surge possible for coastal areas under the Tropical Storm Warning.
The system is also expected to bring life-threatening surf and rip currents along parts of the East Coast from northeastern Florida to the Mid-Atlantic states over the next couple of days.
The third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season forms on average around Aug. 3, according to the National Hurricane Center.
