LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 3,000 counterfeit items worth millions of dollars in Louisville all in one night.
Officers infiltrated three shipments full of various luxury items worth more than $3.1 million on May 8.
The shipments contained, handbags, jewelry, and Rolex watches, all deemed to be inauthentic.
The first shipment contained 1,438 necklaces bearing counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels trademarks.
The necklaces, arriving from Hong Kong and heading to a residence in Miami, would have been worth a total of $2.18 million, had they been genuine.
CBP officers found a second parcel originating from Hong Kong and found 10 fake Rolex watches.
The watch shipment was heading to a residence in Ontario, Canada. Had the watches been real, they would have been worth a total of $102,500.
The final package was also from Hong Kong and was headed to a P.O. Box in Laredo, Texas.
Inside, officers found 14 fake Louis Vuitton handbags, and over 1,400 pairs of earrings bearing inauthentic logos representing Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Versace, Tous, Tory Burch, and Disney brands.
Officers also found over 200 necklaces bearing inauthentic logos representing Chanel, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton brands. This shipment would have been worth $812,510, had the goods been authentic.
LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of Field Operations-Chicago Field Office, said officers infiltrate packages containing counterfeit items more often than some may think.
“These types of seizures happen every night," Sutton-Burke said. "Our officers are very well trained and vigilant in stopping these illegal shipments from reaching their destinations."
U.S. consumers spend more than $100 billion every year on counterfeit goods, falling victim to approximately 20% of the counterfeits illegally sold worldwide, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office.
Counterfeit costume jewelry bearing famous brands such as Chanel, have been found to contain lead and other toxic materials which are dangerous to human health.
“As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third-party vendors, our officers are at the frontline to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise,” Thomas Mahn, Louisville Port Director, said.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
