LOUISVILLE, Ky—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville halted a shipment, arriving from Vietnam that contained more than 5,700 designer face masks.
On January 5, CBP officers in Louisville detained a shipment heading to a residence in North Carolina. CBP officers inspected the parcel to determine the admissibility of its contents in accordance with CBP regulations.
Inside officers found 5,789 face masks from fashion designers such as Coach, Tory Burke, Chanel and others. The face masks were reviewed by an import specialist who determined the items were counterfeit. If these items were real, the total MSRP for these would have been more than $1.4 million.
“On a daily basis, criminals try to send fake designer products in hopes of disrupting our economy,” said Thomas Mahn, Port Director-Louisville. “These masks were inspected and found to be counterfeit. Our officers are highly trained by industry experts and will continue to seize these items to protect consumers and other industries.”
Every year, CBP seizes millions of counterfeit goods from countries around the world as part of its mission to protect U.S. businesses and consumers. These goods include fake versions of popular products, such as smartphones and related accessories, electronics, apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and high-end luxury goods, as well as goods posing significant health and safety concerns, such as counterfeit pharmaceuticals, bicycle and motorcycle helmets, medical devices, supplements and other consumables. Sold online and in stores, counterfeit goods hurt the U.S. economy, cost Americans their jobs, threaten consumer health and safety, and fund criminal activity. Visit the National IPR Coordination Center for more information about IPR including counterfeiting and piracy.
Nationwide in Fiscal Year 2020, CBP seized 26,503 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights. The total estimated value of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was nearly $1.3 billion.
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. Information about the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign can be found at https://www.cbp.gov/FakeGoodsRealDangers.
CBP's border security mission is led at 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.