U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized two shipments containing 53 counterfeit watches from Hong Kong on the night of Oct 28.
The counterfeit watches, which included brands such as Richard Mille, Rolex, Hublot, Cartier, Swarovski, G-Shock, and Patek Philippe, would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $6.6 million if they were genuine.
The shipments were addressed to residences in Union City, Georgia, and Doral, Florida. The items have been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further inspection.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities and organized crime,” said Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke.
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Both shipments were inspected by officers and subsequently seized for bearing unauthorized versions of well-known trademarks. The items were deemed to bear counterfeit marks by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
For the last three years, the top items seized for Intellectual Property Rights infringement with the highest total MSRP have been jewelry, watches, and handbags/wallets. Additionally, China and Hong Kong are consistently the top two source countries for IPR seizures.
In Fiscal Year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 90% of the total quantity seized.
Intellectual property theft is not a victimless crime. Victims are American consumers, businesses, trademark holders, and people who manufacture and sell legitimate products.
Often, the illicit proceeds resulting from the sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products are funneled back to support a broad range of illegal crimes. Criminals sell pirated merchandise and counterfeit U.S. products around the globe.
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