3M Says Over 41 Mln Counterfeit N95 Respirators Seized Since Pandemic Began MAPLEWOOD (dpa-AFX) - 3M announced that it has been able to seize more than 41 million counterfeit N95 respirators since the pandemic began in early 2020 with the help of global law enforcement and customs agencies. The latest seizure is of more than one million suspected counterfeit N95 respirators from a warehouse in the Eastern District of Kentucky with the help of the U.S. Marshals service. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky has also granted 3M a temporary restraining order stopping defendant Old World Timber, LLC from selling counterfeit products. The case was initiated after potential customers contacted 3M's fraud hotlines to check the authenticity. It was found that the sales documents and products were fake.