US customs seize fake designer belts

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Orlando have seized 314 counterfeit Gucci, Fendi, and Salvatore Ferragamo leather belts with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $128,000.

The CBP notes that the counterfeit belts arrived in three separate shipments from Hong Kong en route to local Orlando addresses.

The agency said its officers suspected the belts to be counterfeit since they did not appear to be "of the quality consistent with the products normally manufactured by the trademark holders." CBP import specialists examined samples and determined the items to be counterfeit.

"Counterfeit goods adversely affect unsuspecting consumers, businesses and our economy," said Orlando Area Port Director Eduardo Oliveros.

"We are extremely proud here in Orlando of our CBP officers and import specialists who protect consumers and ensure these products do not enter the commerce of the US."

On a typical day in fiscal year 2014, CBP officers around the country seized counterfeit goods totalling more than $3.4m. For the year as a whole the agency made more than 23,000 seizures of counterfeit goods worth an estimated $1.2bn.