U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Louisville intercepted a shipment on June 18 containing 375 counterfeit watches. Had these watches been genuine, the shipment would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of over $54 million.
The shipment from Hong Kong was headed for a residence in New York when officers pulled the parcel for inspection. The examination revealed 375 Audemars Piguet watches. The items were deemed to be inauthentic by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and were seized for bearing counterfeit version of registered and recorded trademarks.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities and organized crime,” said Louisville’s Port Director, Philip Onken. “Our officers protect private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of shipments from our commerce.”
Illegitimate sales are some of the most profitable transnational crimes. Counterfeiters sell inauthentic versions of popular products in response to trends, often through online sources, which adversely impacts legitimate U.S. businesses. These items, including fake medications, perfumes, and cosmetics, children’s toys and costumes, fashion, jewelry, and luxury products, and unsafe electronics and automative parts, can pose serious health and safety risks to American consumers as they are often made with substandard or harmful materials.