Three shipments of counterfeit designer watches and jewellery that, if genuine, would have had a combined MSRP of $3.16 million were seized in Northern Kentucky over a four-day period, according to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
From 25 to 28 October, officers found a total of 795 counterfeit items in the shipments, all of which arrived at the DHL facility from Hong Kong and were destined for destinations in Texas and Florida. The items were identified as counterfeit by US Customs and Border Protection’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
The first shipment, seized on 25 October, contained 379 pieces of counterfeit jewellery bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Van Cleef, Tory Burch, Christian Dior, Gucci, Cartier, Rolex, Tiffany, Michael Kors, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and Hermes. Had the items been real, they would have been worth more than $724,000, the agency said.
On 26 October, officers seized a second shipment of 206 counterfeit watches bearing the trademarks of Cartier, Rolex, Versace, Coach and Tous. The agency said the total manufacturer’s suggested retail price for this shipment would have been over $2 million if they had been genuine.
The third shipment was intercepted on 28 October. Officers found 210 pieces of counterfeit jewellery bearing the registered trademarks of Van Cleef and Cartier. The items, if genuine, would have been worth more than $429,000.
The seizures have been referred to Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, for further action, the agency said.
US Customs and Border Protection data shows that handbags, wallets, apparel, footwear, watches, jewellery and consumer electronics are at a higher risk of being counterfeited, the release said, adding that in fiscal year 2022, more than 24.5 million shipments with IPR violations were seized nationwide, worth just under $3 billion had the goods been genuine.
