LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Federal agents seized 18,560 pairs of counterfeit Nike shoes sent from China to the Port of Long Beach in two shipping containers, which were falsely marked as drainage pipeline fittings, authorities said Wednesday.

The items were confiscated Monday when the containers were inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, said Mike Fleming of the federal agency.

Agents also seized 252 pairs of other shoes that were placed in front of the counterfeits to try to conceal them, Fleming said.

"The scheme didn't work," he said.

The appraised value of the seized items -- which will be destroyed -- was $521,000, Fleming said.

"Had the shoes been legitimate, the value would have been $2.6 million," he said.