LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville found more than 200 pieces of fake jewelry being sent to a fictitious business in the U.S.
Officers detained two shipments of jewelry displaying the Cartier trademark on Feb. 1. There were 177 bracelets, 57 rings and 12 necklaces. Had the 246 pieces been real, the suggested retail price would have been around $5.2 million.
"The trade of fake goods, and the widespread violation of private intellectual property rights threaten the American economy, as well as our national security," said Thomas Mahn, Louisville port director.
Mahn said counterfeit products intercepted by CBP are often sold on e-commerce sites to customers thinking they have purchased the original product.
Earlier this month, a shipment of counterfeit jewelry was seized Louisville CBP officers. The shipments included fake versions of Dior, Tiffany & Co. and Rolex items. If the products were real, it would have totaled around $700,000.
Louisville officers have also seized 618 bottles of unapproved Viagra and nearly 230 pounds of Dimethyltryptamine.
►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.