2 nights, 5 shipments, over $25 million in counterfeit jewelry
US CBP officers in Louisville seized five shipments containing a total of almost 2,200 pieces of counterfeit jewelry.
On June 19 the first shipment arrived from China, heading to a residence in Pennsylvania. Officers seized 318 bracelets for bearing unauthorized versions of Cartier trademarks. Later in the night, CBP seized another shipment, this one arriving from Hong Kong and heading to a residence in Tampa. This second shipment contained more inauthentic jewelry, specifically 490 necklaces, 205 pair of earrings, and 80 rings, bearing unauthorized trademarks owned by Van Cleef and Arpels.
On the night of June 20 officers seized 3 shipments all containing inauthentic Cartier bracelets, 800 in total. All of these shipments came from China; two of the shipments were heading to a residence in Fayetteville, North Carolina and the third shipment was heading to Michigan.
The 2,193 items were deemed to bear counterfeit marks by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts. Had these goods been genuine, the five shipments would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of over $25.32 million.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities and organized crime,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “When consumers purchase counterfeit goods, legitimate companies lose revenue, which can force those companies to cut jobs. Our officers are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of shipments from our commerce.”
For the last three years, the top commodities seized for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) infringement with the highest total MSRP have been (1) Jewelry, (2) Watches, and (3) Handbags/Wallets. Additionally, China and Hong Kong are consistently the top two source countries for IPR seizures. In Fiscal Year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 90% of the total quantity seized.
Commonly, these goods are sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce websites. Counterfeit commodities fund smugglers and members of organized crime. Consumers often believe they are buying a genuine product but soon realize the item is substandard.
Intellectual property theft is not a victimless crime. Victims are American consumers, businesses, trademark holders and people who manufacture and sell legitimate products. Often, the illicit proceeds resulting from the sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products are funneled back to support a broad range of illegal crimes. Criminals sell pirated merchandise and counterfeit U.S. products around the globe. And, while it may seem harmless to buy a knock-off purse, an inexpensive electronic device or cheaper medication, these trade practices threaten the public’s health and safety, the U.S. economy and national security by introducing harmful and banned materials into counterfeit products and supporting illegal labor practices.
