LAGUNA NIGUEL – Local and federal law enforcement authorities descended on a house in Laguna Niguel Thursday morning to investigate two men suspected as traffickers in counterfeit hair straighteners, which if poorly made can pose significant safety hazards to consumers, including burning and electrocution.

About 10 investigators with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and special ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents combed through the garage and the single-story house in the 29500 block of Pelican Way near Niguel Road and Alicia Parkway.

The home is owned by Seyed Rafizadeh, according to property records. Twin brothers Mohsen and Hosein Rafizadeh, 24, live in the home, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant that was signed March 19 by Shawn Porter, an investigator with the D.A.’s Major Fraud Unit.

In addition to the Laguna Niguel property, investigators also searched a home and car in Aliso Viejo owned by Masoud “Alex” Ahmadpourbahnamiri in connection with the case, along with a PayPal account registered to the email address lagunadeals@gmail.com, according to the affidavit.

Investigators believe Ahmadpourbahnamiri is an employee of the Rafizadeh brothers.

The focus of the probe is a business that operates under the name Briskdeals.com, which is owned by the Rafizadeh brothers and is linked to numerous international parcel shipments from China, including one shipment that was seized in July by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and determined to be counterfeit, according to the affidavit.

Mohsen Rafizadeh said Thursday afternoon that he thinks the raid was a misunderstanding. He said he imports some goods from China, such as iPad accessories and folding camping knives, and purchased goods at the International Consumer Electronics Show and from government liquidation websites. He said U.S. Customs officials have examined his products from China to make sure they’re not counterfeit.

Mohsen Rafizaden also said his brother had just come from being in Iran for six months, and investigators “thought he was doing something with the government” and asked him if he was bringing money into the country.

The UCI electrical engineering graduate student said the raid gave his mother an anxiety attack and law enforcement authorities called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.

“They attacked the house like they thought we had guns, like we’re a gang or gun-running or something,” he said.

He said Briskdeals.com is a daily deals site. As of Thursday afternoon, the site primarily offered SilverCut folding knives and Roxanni iPad cases with built-in Bluetooth keyboards. The daily deal was for a black cocktail dress.

The affidavit alleges Briskdeals.com infringes upon trademarks owned by Chi Curling Irons and GHD, as well as lnStyle hair hot irons.

Investigators believe that as of October 2011, Briskdeals had sold through its website about 1,260 counterfeit GHD hair-straightening irons, with an estimated retail value of $237,975, and about 1,307 GHD irons that have an estimated retail value of $210,030, according to the affidavit.

The items were sold through Briskdeals’ website for about $60 each. The genuine products typically can fetch about twice that amount.

On its website, Briskdeals calls itself a “next generation shopping site” and says, “We also find the best product deals for the customers to savor.”

Investigators took Mohsen Rafizaden’s laptop, school research papers, business invoices and bills, and samples of products, he said.

Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for ICE, declined to comment on the case because it is ongoing, but she said Homeland Security investigations agents encounter all kinds of illegally imported counterfeit products.

“It runs the gamut from pharmaceuticals and motor oil to designer clothing and car airbags,” Kice said.

“When it comes to counterfeit goods, the expression ‘buyer beware’ has never been more true. Part of what you’re paying for when you buy established brands is quality control. When you purchase counterfeits, you can easily get something you hadn’t bargained for – something that could pose a significant health or safety risk.”

Counterfeit hair stylers can overheat, causing low-quality plastic casing to melt, which presents a high risk of burn injuries to the hair, scalp, face and hands, said Jeffrey Eastman, the lead investigator on the case and a special agent with ICE/Homeland Security Investigations.

A counterfeit styler’s heating plate also can come loose and lead to a potential exposure to live wires and a high risk of electrocution, Eastman said.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3764 or ghardesty@ocregister.com