Cincinnati CBP seizes $7m in fake high-end jewellery

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati intercepted 11 shipments containing counterfeit jewellery worth an estimated $7m in the build-up to the holiday season.

The shipments were intercepted between December 1 and 7 and came from India, Hong Kong, and Indonesia and infringed the intellectual property of a plethora of big-name brands, putting consumers at risk of a shoddy and disappointing Christmas gift.

On December 1, officers seized a shipment from Hong Kong containing 783 counterfeit bracelets, earrings, and necklaces displaying the logos of Fendi, Versace, Cartier, Christian Dior, and Tiffany & Co destined for an address in North Carolina.

The next day’s haul included of 60 items originating in Hong Kong, knocking off designers such as Cartier, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Gucci, which was followed by the discovery of a fake Audemars Piguet watch shipped from Indonesia, en route respectively to North Carolina and Maryland.

On December 6, officers discovered six more shipments containing counterfeit merchandise. One of the shipments included 650 pieces of phoney Van Cleef earrings, bracelets, and necklaces, while another contained 102 Rolex watches with matching boxes, along with 20 Gucci belts. Another four shipments were intercepted including one Franck Muller watch, one Cartier watch, one Tissot watch, and five Apple watches.

Finally on December 7, two more shipments of various fake merchandise were seized. One held a mixture of counterfeit jewellery and headbands with the logos of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef, Dior, and even Mickey Mouse. The last shipment was loaded with 125 counterfeit watches displaying logos of Adidas, Coach, Tous, Gucci, and Rolex.

All 11 shipments discovered, were determined to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centres for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs), the agency’s trade experts, and were seized for infringing on the designer’s protected trademarks.