U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Louisville stopped a shipment on Oct. 23 containing 460 counterfeit watches. Had these watches been genuine, the shipment would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of over $66 million.
The shipment from Hong Kong was headed for a residence in Texas when officers pulled the parcel for inspection. The examination revealed 460 watches bearing Audemars Piguet trademarks. 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 versions of registered and recorded trademarks.
“In May, these CBP officers seized a shipment of counterfeit jewelry worth $14 million; in June, it was $54 million in counterfeit watches; in July, more counterfeit watches worth $28 million; and in August, it was 300 counterfeit watches worth $43 million,” said Louisville’s Port Director Philip Onken. “As you can see, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers, as trade grows at unprecedented rates.”