CBP Officers seize 3,524 Counterfeit Handbags, Shoes, Watches, Sunglasses, T-shirts, Purses, Sandals and Ball Caps arriving from Hong Kong
arriving from Hong Kong via air express cargo.
LOS ANGELES— U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and import specialists assigned to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) cargo operations seized 3,524 counterfeit YSL, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace, Gucci, Fendi, Nike, Under Armor, Adidas, Cartier, Rolex, Dior, Pandora, Casio, Michael Kors, Tiffany & Co., Burberry and Christian Louboutine high fashion products arriving via express air cargo from Hong Kong.
The seized items included handbags, shoes, watches, sunglasses, t-shirts, purses, sandals, gym bags, dresses, belts and ball caps. In the same shipment, CBP officers discovered and seized 2,160 pills of Sildenafil and 4,500 pills of Ranitidine Hydrochloride. If genuine, the seized merchandise would have had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,884,769.
had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested
retail price of $1,884,769.
CBP officers discovered the counterfeit goods while conducting an enforcement exam on a shipment of 99 boxes that weighed 3,827 pounds and arrived on June 25. The shipment, falsely manifested as “Ladies Tops Storage Bag Empty,” was a clear attempt to circumvent U.S. law.
“Trade in illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities, and often funds criminal enterprises,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “CBP officers and import specialists remain vigilant in detecting, intercepting and seizing illegitimate products and enforcing all trade laws.”
Consumers are tricked into believing they are buying an original product at a significant discount.
underground outlets, counterfeit commodities
multiply the illegal profits of smugglers and traffickers.
“Through their diligence and attention to detail, CBP officers and import specialists, prevented a significant smuggling attempt,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, CBP LAX Port Director. “Their dedication and commitment to the mission of CBP is vital in stopping counterfeit goods from entering the U.S. commerce.”
Nationwide in fiscal year (FY) 2019, CBP seized 27,599 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights. The total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods, had they been genuine, increased to nearly $1.5 billion from over $1.4 billion in FY 2018.
Watches and jewelry topped the list for number of seizures with 4,242 representing 15 percent of all seizures. Watches and jewelry continued as the top product seized by total MSRP with seizures valued at over $687 million, representing 44 percent of the total. Wearing apparel and accessories are second with seizures estimated to be valued at more than $226 million.
Fiscal year 2019 Intellectual Property Rights Statistics
If you have any suspicion of or information regarding suspected fraud or illegal trade activity, please report the trade violation to e-Allegations Online Trade Violation Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT.
The enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights is a CBP Priority Trade Issue. Priority Trade Issues represent high-risk areas that can cause significant revenue loss, harm the U.S. economy, or threaten the health and safety of the American people. They drive the risk-informed investment of CBP resources as well as enforcement and facilitation efforts, including special enforcement operations, outreach, and regulatory initiatives.