Federal agents in Los Angeles seized more than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars found on cargo ships arriving from Asia, federal and local officials announced Nov. 26.

If the guitars were authentic, they would have been worth $18.7 million, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Gibson representatives helped Customs officers and investigators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and other local and federal agents to identify the counterfeit guitars.

Gibson makes guitars only in the United States—in Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, and Bozeman, Montana—and with a history dating back to 1894, is one of the oldest guitar makers still in existence, according to Guitar.com, a music industry online magazine.

A new Gibson guitar can cost thousands of dollars.

“These fraudulent guitars may look and feel legitimate for unsuspecting consumers buying them from third-party online sources, street markets, unauthorized retailers, and person-to-person transactions,” said Cheryl Davies, CBP’s director of field operations in Los Angeles, in a statement Tuesday.

“As we approach the busy holiday shopping season, consumers should pay attention on where they are buying these goods and how much they are paying, and if it is too good to be true, it probably is.”

According to U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco in Los Angeles, proceeds from the sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products are often funneled back to support a broad range of illegal activities.

The Gibson company saluted federal authorities’ work in finding the fakes.

“We are grateful for the hard work that our U.S. CBP officers, HIS special agents, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigators are doing to stop counterfeiting,” said Cesar Gueikian, CEO of Gibson. “Our partnership is designed to help every agency work together to protect consumers and our fans from being misled into counterfeits.”

Beth Heidt, Gibson’s chief marketing officer, said the finding was “emotional and personal” for the company’s players and team of artisans, who “are generations of American families that have dedicated their entire lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments.”

Gibson celebrated its 130th anniversary this year.

Investigators say that if real, the counterfeit Gibson guitars  would be worth about $18.7 million, according to a Nov. 26 announcement. (U.S. Customs and Border Patrol)

Nationwide in 2023, CBP officers seized 19,724 shipments containing counterfeit goods. The total manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the seized goods was over $2.7 billion, according to the CBP.

Counterfeit goods from China and Hong Kong account for 46 percent of all seizures.