3 Packages worth over $10M intercepted by Louisville CBP

On July 1, CBP seized the first shipment, which originated from China and was found to contain jewelry bearing the trademarks of famous luxury brands, including: 100 Van Cleef and Arpels necklaces, 23 Louis Vuitton necklaces, 37 Hermes necklaces, 66 Gucci necklaces, 30 Tous necklaces, 75 Dior necklaces, 8 Prada necklaces, 22 Versace necklaces, 46 Tiffany and Co necklaces, 15 Bvlgari necklaces, 9 Calvin Klein necklaces, 140 Van Cleef and Arpels bracelets, 184 Cartier bracelets, 129 Bvlgari bracelets, 47 Chanel bracelets, 53 Michael Kors bracelets, 14 Carolina Herrera bracelets, 26 Gucci bracelets, 13 Hermes bracelets, 21 Louis Vuitton bracelets, 2 Tory Burch bracelets, 3 Tous bracelets, 5 Tiffany and Co bracelets, 2 Rolex bracelets, 1 Yves Saint Laurent bracelet, 12 Louis Vuitton rings, 9 Chanel rings, 63 Cartier rings, 36 Versace rings, 18 Bvlgari rings, 79 Gucci rings, 104 Tous rings, 21 Daniel Wellington rings, 42 Calvin Klein rings, 14 Hermes rings, 4 Tiffany and Co rings, and 2 Rolex rings. The items were seized for infringing on the designer's protected trademarks that had been recorded with CBP for border enforcement through the e-Recordation program. The shipment contained a total of 1,466 pieces of jewelry and was heading to a residence in Brooklyn, New York. Had the items been genuine, the MSRP for these products would have been over $5.13 million.

On July 2, CBP seized the second and third shipments, which also originated from China and were heading to separate residential addresses in Miami, Florida. When CBP officers inspected the first shipment, they found 78 bracelets, 42 necklaces and 42 pairs of earrings displaying the logos of Van Cleef and Arpels and Cartier. Inspection of the second shipment revealed 140 Cartier bracelets, 220 Van Cleef and Arpels bracelets, 150 Van Cleef and Arpels necklaces, 110 Van Cleef and Arpels rings, and 140 Van Cleef and Arpels pair of earrings- a total of 921 pieces our counterfeit jewelry. Had the items been genuine, the MSRP for these products would have been over $4.95 million.

"These large seizures illustrate the work our officers do every day to protect our country, its citizens, and the economy," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. "Every day CBP officers are seizing these fraudulent de minimis shipments sent by bad actors. Criminals are trying to exploit the mail environment by peddling their counterfeit products. Even though this package had a low declared value, they pose the same potential health, safety, and economic security risks as larger and more traditional containerized shipments."

The illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods offers criminals a complementary source of income and a way through which they can launder money. Additionally, monies received from the sale of counterfeit products can be channeled towards the further production of fake goods or other illicit activities. Additionally, counterfeiting is a hugely profitable business, with criminals relying on the continued high demand for cheap goods coupled with low production costs.

In FY23, CBP seized 19,522 shipments with intellectual property rights (IPR) violations for a total of nearly 23 million counterfeit items. If the seized products were genuine, their total MSRP would be valued at $2.4 billion. CBP protects citizens from unsafe and substandard products by seizing merchandise infringing on trademarks and copyrights recorded with CBP through the e-Recordation program https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/. CBP has established an educational initiative to raise consumer awareness about the consequences and dangers often associated with the purchase of counterfeit and pirated goods. Information about the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign can be found at https://www.cbp.gov/FakeGoodsRealDangers.

CBP encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise illegally imported into the United States to submit an e-Allegation. The e-Allegation system provides a means for the public to anonymously report to CBP any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importation of goods in the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.