Fulton Mall shelves may be bare this summer since in Baltimore feds have seized 120,000 pairs of fake Nikes, along with counterfeit Coach and Gucci-brand stuff, Cartier watches and Viagra pills bound for Brooklyn. For smuggling and money laundering they've charged three U.S. citizens along with four partners from China and two from Malaysia, where the goods were manufactured. The AP says that, to avoid paying import duties, the smuggling ring had merchandise delivered to New York and New Jersey, transacting in cash and wiring money to Asia. Officials also seized fake Ugg, Adidas, Versace and Ralph Lauren items. Undercover officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who've been working on the case since 2008, infiltrated the operation and made their arrests last week. more ›

Snoop Dogg marched through Times Square with Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers earlier today. Because what else are you going to come up with when you have a big bag of chronic and are pondering a marketing plan for a Star Wars-based footwear/clothing collection? Later in the day Racked reported that Snoops Troops made it to the Adidas store in SoHo... and R2D2 even made a cameo! Have you spotted anyone else from the Empire out there? more ›

Footage of Fidel Castro was released yesterday, showing the former Cuban president visiting with Venezulan President Hugo Chavez and his young brother Raul Castro, who now rules Cuba. Per CBS News:

A thin but animated Castro, dressed in an open-neck track suit over pajamas, is seen in a spirited conversation with the other two men in an unidentified garden setting. There is no audio, but the government news anchor said the three were discussing the global food crisis and the U.S. elections, among other issues.