U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville, Ky., seized a total of 28 shipments of counterfeit designer jewelry in January, an agency statement said.
Most of the shipments originated in Hong Kong or China. If the jewelry were genuine, it would carry a total manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $27 million, according to the CBP statement. The items were destined for locations across the United States.
In a post on X, the Chicago field office of CBP, which covers Louisville, listed the counterfeit designer items found in a shipment labeled as containing women’s yoga pants: 44 Patek Philippe watches, 15 Audemars Piguet watches, 20 Rolexes, 30 Cartier watches, and 87 Louis Vuitton hats—but “not 1 pair of sweatpants.”
Jewelry has been the top commodity seized for intellectual property infringement during the last three years, the CBP statement said. Watches were No. 2, followed by handbags and wallets. In 2024, 90% of seized items originated from China and Hong Kong, the agency added.
To avoid counterfeits, Customs recommends that consumers purchase directly from the brand or authorized retailers; know the value of the items that they’re purchasing, because if the price appears too good to be true, it probably is; and buy only from websites with customer service numbers and return policies.
Top: A fake Rolex seized by Customs (Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
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