LOUISVILLE, Ky— Monday night, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville inspected a shipment containing a trove of earrings that were deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
CBP officers examined the shipment to determine the admissibility of the goods and found 1,421 pairs of earrings displaying the logos of Fendi, Versace, Yves St. Laurent, Prada, Michael Kors, Van Cleef and Arpels, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. The earrings were seized for infringing on the designer’s protected trademarks. The merchandise, arriving from Thailand and heading to residence in Fullerton, California, would have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $899,500 had they been genuine.
“Our officers and import specialists have done an excellent job targeting shipments and identifying counterfeit items,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “CBP protects businesses and consumers every day with an aggressive intellectual property rights enforcement program.”
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.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities and organized crime,” said Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn. “Our officers are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of shipments from our commerce.”
Nationwide in Fiscal Year 2022, CBP seized over 24.5 million counterfeit items that would have been worth just shy of $3 billion, had the goods been genuine. 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 encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise illegally imported into the United States to submit an e-Allegation. The e-Allegation system provides a means for the public to anonymously report to CBP any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importation of goods in the U.S.
CBP’s border security mission is led at 328 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.