CBP Officers Seize Nearly $800K Worth of Luxury Jewelry, Handbags, Watches & More at Chicago’s International Mail Facility

On Aug 1, 2023

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
CHICAGO, IL –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Chicago O’Hare’s International Mail Branch seized two packages of counterfeit designer apparel on July 28. The packages contained a total of 614 pieces of fake products with a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $795,175 if they were genuine.

The first shipment arrived from Thailand and contained 565 pieces of jewelry, handbags, and other apparel with logos from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Burberry, Prada, and Van Cleef & Arpels. The estimated MSRP for these items would have been $689,160 had they been authentic.

The second shipment, also from Thailand, was heading to Dallas, Texas, and consisted of counterfeit jewelry, handbags, watches, caps, and socks displaying logos from brands like Tiffany and Co., Rolex, Yves St. Laurent, Hermes, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace, and Dior. If these items were real, their MSRP would have been $106,015.

Both shipments were seized for violating the designer’s protected trademarks. CBP’s detection and targeting capabilities, along with partnerships and information sharing, play a crucial role in identifying and stopping such dangerous shipments.

Counterfeiting is a profitable criminal business, providing illicit income and a way to launder money. Criminals take advantage of the high demand for cheap goods and low production costs to engage in counterfeiting. Nationwide in Fiscal Year 2022, CBP seized over 24.5 million shipments with intellectual property rights (IPR) violations worth nearly $3 billion if the goods were authentic.

To protect consumers and the U.S. economy, CBP encourages reporting any information about counterfeit merchandise imported illegally into the United States through the e-Allegation system, allowing the public to anonymously report suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to imported goods. Additionally, CBP has established educational initiatives to raise consumer awareness about the dangers of purchasing counterfeit and pirated goods.

Overall, CBP’s efforts aim to safeguard citizens from unsafe and substandard products and curb the trafficking of counterfeit goods.