CBP Seizes Large Shipment of Designer Watches, Again, Worth $15M
For the second time in seven days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Port of Louisville made another seizure of counterfeit Rolex watches.
This time CBP officers inspected only two parcels. The packages were again manifested as female bracelets. CBP inspected the shipments to determine if the goods were admissible in accordance with CBP regulations. The officers found a total of 400 Rolex watches deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s trade experts at the Centers of Excellence and Expertise. All of the watches displayed the protected Rolex trademark. The total declared value for all three boxes was listed as $354, but had the 400 watches been real the cumulative Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been worth $15.18 million.
CBP officers seized 600 counterfeit Rolex watches that were shipped from Hong Kong. Those counterfeits, had they been real would have been worth $22.77 million. Officers in Louisville seized five packages containing 1,000 counterfeit Rolex watches with an MSRP of $37.95 million. All the information was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations, the investigating branch of DHS. Investigating efforts are ongoing.
Historically, counterfeit watches and jewelry have been one of the top seized counterfeit products by CBP, with more than a quarter of the counterfeit goods coming from Hong Kong. Counterfeit watches and jewelry make up almost half of the total MSRP of seized goods (an average of $650 million over the last two years).
“These five shipments exemplify the continuous efforts of criminals trying to infiltrate and disrupt our economy,” said Thomas Mahn, Louisville Port Director. “Our officers did an excellent job of finding and stopping this money-making effort of criminal organizations, while protecting U.S. consumers.”
Sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce websites, counterfeit commodities fund smugglers and members of organized crime. Consumers often believe they are buying a genuine product but soon realize the item is substandard.
CBP Trade protects the intellectual property rights of American businesses through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program, safeguarding them from unfair competition and use for malicious intent while upholding American innovation and ingenuity. Suspected violations can be reported to CBP here.
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.
