LOUISVILLE, KY –- In 24 hours, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized three shipments of jewelry for bearing counterfeit designer trademarks.
On April 3, two shipments, originating from the same location in Hong Kong, were heading to the same private residence in Jeffersonville, IN, but with different recipient names, according to a press release from CBP. One shipment contained 400 bracelets bearing suspect Van Cleef and Arpels trademarks, while the second shipment contained 993 jewelry sets bearing suspect Van Cleef and Arpels trademarks, authorities said. CBP’s trade experts determined that the merchandise was not authentic. Had the items been genuine, the total manufacturer’s suggested retail price would have been $3.7 million, according to the release.
The next day, CBP officers held another parcel for inspection. This shipment was also from Hong Kong, but this time was heading to a residence in Cleveland.
According to the release:
Inside officers found 1,367 counterfeit pendants that bore recorded trademarks: 537 bearing suspect Chanel marks, 155 bearing suspect Dior marks, 155 bearing suspect Louis Vuitton marks, 245 bearing suspect Gucci marks, 75 bearing suspect Fendi marks, 60 bearing suspect Yves Saint Laurent marks, 40 bearing suspect Tiffany & Company marks, 66 bearing suspect Versace marks, 20 bearing suspect Givenchy marks, 10 bearing suspect MCM marks, 20 bearing suspect Dolce & Gabbanamarks, 10 bearing suspect MLB Yankees marks, and 10 bearing suspect MLB Dodgers marks. Once again, officers submitted documentation and photographs to CBP’s trade experts at the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising CEE who determined that the merchandise was not authentic, and bore infringing trademarks that had been recorded with CBP for border enforcement through the e-Recordation program. The total MSRP for this shipment would have been $710, 295, had these items been real.
The shipments were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, the investigating arm of the Department of Homeland Security, and an investigation is ongoing.
“Substandard and illegal products harm the U.S. economy and the health and safety of consumers,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for the Chicago Field Office. “Once again our CBP officers at the Port of Louisville have demonstrated their exceptional skill and superior commodity expertise.”
Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn said: “No one buys a luxury brand piece of jewelry expecting it to fail or fall apart. As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third party vendors, our officers are at the frontline to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise.”
Commonly, these goods are sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce websites, according to the release. Online listings will often use images of the genuine designer product, defrauding purchasers who are expecting to receive the real thing.