Add counterfeit laundry detergent to the list of substances that may get your house raided by the cops. An unnamed SeaTac man’s apartment was raided by customs officials recently after they were tipped off that he and several other men may have been importing fake laundry detergent from China that claims to be Tide and Ariel-brand products. No wonder I can’t get these bloodstains out of my trunk. The raid went down on Nov. 5, though it wasn’t reported until today after customs agents filed paperwork with a U.S. District Court.The investigation follows raids in September and in October at the Port of Seattle, in which around 57,000 bags of bogus detergent were confiscated. Those investigations came after a March 2009 seizure in Newark, N.J., and another a few months later in Philadelphia, that netted 53,556 bags of the fake soap. It’s not clear what the Chinese counterfeiters may be cutting the detergent with, or if they’re using a different substance altogether. But given their propensity to put lead in just about anything, one should probably just assume that there was some of that in it. The case–besides likely making folks take a closer look at their detergent–seems to suggest that if the Chinese are counterfeiting everyday products like laundry soap, they’re likely doing it with other household products as well.I’m looking at you, slightly strange-tasting toothpaste I got at the corner store.
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