ERLANGER, Ky. — Federal officers in Northern Kentucky seized thousands of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

With the amount of cargo that’s constantly flying in and out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is always on the lookout for items that aren’t supposed to be there.

That vigilance recently led to the recovery of some contraband that could’ve put a lot of people at risk.

The shipments, which originated in China, were being imported by non-medical entities in private residences and apartments in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Texas. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

“We've begun to see within the agency a large quantity of counterfeit COVID vaccination cards, along with the actual vaccine labels,” said Richard Gillespie, Director of the Port of Cincinnati for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “With this particular shipment, we intercepted a little less than 1,700 counterfeit cards, and a little over 2,000 of the vaccine labels that would go on the cards.”

Gillespie said similar significant shipments have recently been seized out of Memphis, Anchorage, Pittsburgh and Chicago.

“There is a big illegal market for a lot of stuff that people don’t necessarily realize,” Gillespie said. “These were a variety of shipments. I want to say we had about five different shipments that we’ve intercepted.”

Gillespie said his officers rely on local and national intel to intercept illegal items trying to make entry to the United States.

Although the vaccination cards displayed a logo for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officers knew the cards were fakes based on things like misspellings, print quality and other minor variances. The shipments, which originated in China, were being imported by non-medical entities in private residences and apartments in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Texas.

“A lot of these shipments, they were able to discern were likely counterfeit based on their destination, as they were going to residential addresses or apartments, instead of medical facilities,” Gillespie said.

He explained why it was such an important recovery.

“It is a big deal. For one, they’re creating fraudulent cards, government issued cards. But the bigger concern, obviously, is the stemming of the expansion of the COVID virus, stopping that from continuing to spread. If you have somebody that is utilizing one of these vaccine cards to gain entry perhaps to an event, a lot of the local concert venues are requiring proof of vaccination, and so you don’t really want to have somebody that actually is positive with the COVID virus in close proximity to thousands of other people," he said.

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky’s growing importance as a hub for air cargo in the country means officers need to work around the clock to keep these kinds of things from circulating.

CBP officers coordinate identification findings with CBP’s Fraudulent Document Analysis Unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and other federal partners in order to combat any illicit activity. Visit CBP’s YouTube channel to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of U.S. borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.