U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville intercepted three shipments of counterfeit jewelry earlier this month, with an estimated retail value of more than $18.6 million if the goods had been genuine.
The seizures took place on December 5 and December 8. Two shipments from Hong Kong were destined for addresses in Staten Island, New York, and Irving, Texas. Officers found 400 Cartier watches, 26 Moncler hats, and 30 Chrome Hearts hats in one parcel; the other contained eight Cartier and 13 Audemars Piguet watches. A third shipment from Taiwan was bound for Houston and included 80 Rolex Cosmograph watches and 80 Rolex Day Date watches.
All items bore protected trademarks belonging to brands such as Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Moncler, Chrome Hearts, and Rolex. CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise determined that the goods were counterfeit.
“During the holiday shopping season, it is important to remain aware that criminals try to scam shoppers into buying low quality and potentially dangerous counterfeit items,” said Director of Field Operations LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke of the Chicago Field Office. “Our officers do an incredible job targeting shipments and identifying these violations, working tirelessly every day to protect the consumer and our economy.”
CBP advises consumers to buy products from reputable sources during the holiday season due to risks associated with counterfeit goods. These fake products can harm both the economy and consumer safety.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, CBP seized nearly 79 million counterfeit items nationwide with a total estimated value exceeding $7.3 billion if they had been authentic. The most commonly seized items included clothing, electronics, toys, and medications.
CBP has authority to detain or destroy imported merchandise that infringes on registered trademarks or copyrights recorded through its e-Recordation program (https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/). Other import violations can involve misclassification of goods or false country-of-origin labeling.
For more information about CBP’s efforts against counterfeiting or its public awareness campaign Truth Behind Counterfeits, visit https://www.cbp.gov/trade/fakegoodsrealdangers.
Anyone wishing to report suspected fraud or illegal trade activity can contact CBP via its e-Allegations Online Trade Violations Reporting System or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT. Intellectual property rights violations may also be reported at https://www.iprcenter.gov/referral/ or by phone at 1-866-IPR-2060.
CBP describes itself as America’s largest law enforcement organization responsible for border management across land, air, and sea domains.
