In a 24-hour time frame, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville, Ky., seized more than 2,700 pieces of counterfeit jewelry being imported into the United States.
On April 3, CBP officers intercepted two shipments originating from the same location in Hong Kong that were headed to the same private residence in Jeffersonville, Ind., but were addressed to different recipients. They contained 1,400 jewelry sets bearing suspect Van Cleef & Arpels trademarks.
Officers presented the items to CBP experts, who determined the trademarks were not legitimate. If the jewlery had been genuine, the total manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) would have been $3.7 million.
The next day, CBP officers held another shipment for inspection. It also came from Hong Kong but was headed to a residence in Cleveland.
Inside the parcel, officers found 1,367 counterfeit pendants, which bore phony marks from a variety of luxury brands, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Tiffany & Co., Versace, Givenchy, MCM, and Dolce & Gabanna, and two Major League Baseball teams, the Yankees and the Dodgers. The total MSRP would have been $710,295 had these items been real.
The shipments were turned over to Homeland Security for an investigation, which is ongoing.
The CBP statement said that anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise illegally imported into the United States can submit an anonymous allegation at the Customs portal.
In fiscal year 2022, CBP seized more than 24.5 million counterfeit items that would have been worth just shy of $3 billion had the goods been genuine.
“No one buys a luxury brand piece of jewelry expecting it to fail or fall apart,” said Louisville port director Thomas Mahn in a statement. “As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third-party vendors, our officers are at the front line to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise.”
(Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
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