EXCLUSIVE: Federal agents bust pop-up vendors selling counterfeit Warriors merchandise

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A team of undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents is briefed before quickly moving out.

They have work to do all around Oracle Arena.

Pop-up vendors are everywhere and their merchandise isn't all legitimate.

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One agent showed ABC7 News a hat and said, "That's counterfeit. Right there you can't even read that out as NBA."

This specialized team knows exactly what to look for and what to ask.

They asked one vendor, "Who'd you get them from?"

The man answered, "I got them from a guy out here. You know I don't even know these guys man."

But the agents know who they're dealing with.

Special Agent In Charge Ryan Spradlin said, "The money they're spending to distribute these counterfeit items can often be funded to further narcotics activity, weapons trafficking, national security risk."

And often the counterfeit suppliers are international criminal organizations.

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ABC7 News asked one vendor, who was busted with lots of counterfeit shirts, about his supplier.

Juma Salaam said, "Of course I don't believe they are and I can't say what anyone is doing but my own self but I feel secure that they're not."

Many vendors claimed ignorance, that they didn't even know some of their stuff was fake.

Just tonight, they took thousands of dollars' worth of fake merchandise off the streets.

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