US CBP officers intercept $18 million in counterfeits in Louisville

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized three shipments on Dec. 5 and Dec. 8 of counterfeit jewelry arriving from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Had all these goods been genuine, the shipments would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of over $18.6 million.

The first two shipments arrived on Dec. 5 from Hong Kong, with one shipment heading to a residence on Staten Island, New York and the other shipment heading to Irving, Texas. Officers inspected the first parcel and discovered 400 Cartier watches, 26 Moncler hats, and 30 Chrome Hearts hats. In the second parcel, officers found eight Cartier and 13 Audemars Piguet watches. On Dec. 8 officers inspected the parcel from Taiwan and discovered 80 Rolex Cosmograph watches and 80 Rolex Day Date watches. This package was headed to Houston.

The items were seized for bearing the protected trademarks of Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Moncler, Chrome Hearts, and Rolex. All of the items were deemed to be inauthentic by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.

“During the holiday shopping season, it is important to remain aware that criminals try to scam shoppers into buying low-quality and potentially dangerous counterfeit items,” said Director of Field Operations LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Chicago Field Office. “Our officers do an incredible job targeting shipments and identifying these violations, working tirelessly every day to protect the consumer and our economy.”