Kentucky’s U.S. Customs Officers Intercept $4 Million in Faux Designer Watches
Last month, US Customs and Border Protection officers in Kentucky reportedly intercepted counterfeit designer timepieces worth millions of dollars. Several shipments containing counterfeit Rolex, Omega, and Cartier products were discovered in July at the Louisville shipping center, according to a news release. The customs agency reported that if the 130 timepieces contained in nine shipments from Hong Kong were authentic, their suggested retail price would exceed $4.24 million.
The trade specialists at CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise determined that all of the watches were fake. According to the agency, fake watches are among the most commonly seized counterfeit products. The shipment of watches included Bvlgari, Patek Philippe, Hubolt, and Audemars Piguet timepieces as well.
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Massive Seizure of Counterfeit Timepieces Enroute to Florida and Other Destinations
The majority of the containers, according to authorities, were destined for Florida and other locations. All of the timepieces were seized for trademark infringement, according to the release. On an average day during the fiscal year 2022, CBP reported seizing $8 million worth of products that violated intellectual property rights.
CBP’s director of field operations in Chicago, LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, stated, “As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third-party vendors, our officers are at the forefront of the fight against fraudsters hoping to profit from selling counterfeit goods.” During the preceding fiscal year, the agency seized 153,810 counterfeit timepieces estimated to be worth over $596 million if they were authentic.
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Source: CNN
