MINNEAPOLIS– U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Express Consignment Facility intercepted a shipment filled with 364 pieces of counterfeit designer bracelets, earring, rings, and necklaces on April 2.
The shipment arrived from Hong Kong and contained jewelry bearing the trademarks of famous luxury brands, including: 124 bracelets bearing the logos of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier, and Chanel; 96 pairs of earrings bearing the logos of Tory Burch, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci; 84 necklaces bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci; and 60 rings bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, and Gucci. The items were seized for infringing on the designer’s protected trademarks recorded with CBP.
Officers were able to determine these items bore counterfeit marks as the shipment was mis-manifested, the merchandise was of poor quality, lacked labels, and had incorrect packaging. The shipment was heading to a residence in Hutchinson and had the items been real, the MSRP for these products would have been over $482,000.
“This just goes to show you how criminals are using express consignment facilities to ship their items to unsuspecting consumers damaging our economy,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office. “I want to congratulate our officers for their outstanding job. CBP is the first line of defense, and we will continue to protect the safety of consumers.”
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.
CBP’s border security mission is led at 328 ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.