LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 3,200 counterfeit designer watches in Louisville over a six-month span that, had they been genuine, would have been worth slightly more than $81.5 million.
The 3,229 “cheap, gaudy and worthless” timepieces bore designer logos, including Rolex, Audemar Piguet, Cartier, Gucci and Richard Mille, according to a news release.
“Legitimate cross-border trade powers the U.S. economy,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of operations for the agency’s Chicago field office, stated.
“As trade grows at unprecedented rates, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers,” she added.
According to the agency, the lion’s share of the counterfeit watches – which were intercepted between Oct. 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022 – originated in China, destined for addresses across the United States.
In fiscal year 2020, Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 26,500 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights that, had they been genuine, would have been worth an estimated $1.3 billion.
“Consumers should be aware that if a known high-value brand is being offered for an unusually low price, it could very well be fake. CBP encourages the use of reputable vendors for your valuable purchases,” Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn stated.
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