PHILADELPHIA – Looks like there will be a few less ladies designer brand handbags under the Christmas tree this year.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a shipment of 37 counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbags Thursday that arrived in Philadelphia from Hong Kong. If authentic, the handbags would have had a manufacturer suggested retail price of $130,610. They were destined to an address in Logan Township, N.J.
The shipment of three boxes initially arrived November 25 manifested as “Lady Bag Sample.” CBP officers suspected the shipment to be counterfeit and detained it.
CBP officers worked with CBP’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts and verified through the trademark holder that the products were counterfeit.
“Customs and Border Protection officers encounter a wide variety of counterfeit consumer goods, like these trademark-infringing handbags, and we continue to work with our trade and consumer safety partners to identify and seize counterfeit products when we encounter them,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “CBP urges consumers to protect themselves and their families by purchasing authentic consumer goods from reputable vendors.”
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, damage the U.S. economy, and threaten the health and safety of the American people.
On a typical day in 2018, CBP officers seized $3.7 million worth of products with IPR violations. Learn more about what CBP did during "A Typical Day" in 2018.
In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the number of IPR seizures decreased by 333 seizures to 33,810 from 34,143 in FY 2017. The total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods, had they been genuine, increased to nearly $1.4 billion from over $1.2 billion in FY 2017. Read more 2018 IPR Enforcement Statistics.
As a result of CBP enforcement efforts, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested 381 individuals, obtained 296 indictments, and received 260 convictions related to intellectual property crimes in 2018.
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 CBP.gov.