US Customs Seize $10m of Counterfeit Jewelry
July 09, 24
(IDEX Online) - Three separate shipments of counterfeit jewelry with a combined value of more than $10m (if genuine) were seized entering the US in a 24-hour period.
A total of 2,387 items fraudulently branded with Van Cleef and Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci, Dior, Prada, Bvlgari and Cartier trademarks, among others, were intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Louisville, in Kentucky.
All three shipments came from China, were uninsured and were imported under "de minimis regulations" which permit the entry of tax-free merchandise with a retail value under $800.
The first shipment, worth over $5m if genuine, was addressed to a private home in residence in Brooklyn, New York. The other two were due to be delivered to separate residential addresses in Miami, Florida.
"Every day CBP officers are seizing these fraudulent de minimis shipments sent by bad actors," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operationsat CBP's Chicago Field Office.
"Criminals are trying to exploit the mail environment by peddling their counterfeit products."
Pic of a counterfeit Bvlgari ring sized by CBP officers.