NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working in Shreveport, La. seized a box of various counterfeit luxury items including 10 designer outfits and 35 designer purses and wallets valued at $69,240, had the merchandise been genuine.
The variety box was shipped from the Philippines and manifested as local-made ladies dresses destined for a private residence in Arkansas.
CBP officers selected the shipment for an intensive exam when it arrived at an express consignment facility and discovered the assortment of luxury fashion branded dresses, purses, and wallets. Logos of the designer brands Christian Dior, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Mark Jacobs appearing on the merchandise were determined to be counterfeit by CBP’s trade experts, rendering the shipment subject to immediate seizure.
“Purchasing counterfeit items whether at a flea market, black market or online is illegal” said Shreveport Port Director James Norris. “It hurts the trademark holders and their employees who rely on the income of legitimate sales. Counterfeiters fund transnational criminal enterprises and when consumers purchase goods from illegitimate sources, they become complicit in financing these criminal enterprises.
The merchandise was seized pursuant to 19 USC 1526(e) for bearing counterfeit trademarks that are recorded with CBP through the e-Recordation program.
Nationwide in fiscal year 2022, CBP seized over 24.5 million shipments of IPR violations that would have been worth just shy of $3 billion, had the goods been genuine. CBP has established an educational initiative to raise consumer awareness about the consequences and dangers that are often associated with the purchase of counterfeit and pirated goods. The economic impacts of counterfeit goods are real and translate to lost profits and jobs over time.
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.