CINCINNATI — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized three shipments containing counterfeit jewelry that, if genuine, would have been worth over $10 million.
Most of the jewelry consisted of counterfeit Cartier bracelets, CBP stated in a press release.
CBP officers at the Port of Cincinnati stopped three shipments containing counterfeit designer jewelry.
One shipment alone would have been worth over $8 million had the bracelets been genuine.
On Sept. 6, officers intercepted a large shipment of counterfeit Cartier Love bracelets, according to the release. A total of 700 bracelets were seized. Officers suspected the bracelets to be counterfeit based on their origin and appearance. The bracelets “lacked fine details, were constructed from cheap material, and contained fake inlayed diamonds,” CBP stated. The shipment originated in Hong Kong en route to a business in Illinois. The high-end bracelets would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $8.82 million had the items been authentic, according to the release.
On the same night, officers were inspecting freight from China when they discovered two more shipments of counterfeit merchandise. The first shipment contained 60 Cartier bracelets and rings along with other brand name jewelry such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Bvlgari headed to a residence in Colorado. The second shipment contained four Cartier Love bracelets, some with what appeared to be inlayed diamonds heading to a residence in New Jersey. These two shipments would have had a combined manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1.96 million had the merchandise been genuine, according to the release.
“While online shopping has increased, CBP stays vigilant by stopping illegal shipments like these from damaging our economy,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director, field operations-Chicago Field Office. “Officers at the Port of Cincinnati are always on the lookout to uphold our mission of protecting the American borders from dangerous people and materials.”
All of the jewelry was determined to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, according to the release.
“Our mission is to keep our nation safe, and we do this well here at the Port of Cincinnati,” said Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie. “We encourage legitimate trade and encourage shoppers to do your research to be aware of illegitimate businesses before making purchases online.”