U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati seized three shipments of phony jewelry and watches worth nearly $7 million last Friday and Saturday. 

CBP says the first shipment arrived from Hong Kong on Friday and was destined for a private residence in Richmond, Virginia. The package held 275 assorted Cartier Love Bracelets with a declared value of $319. Had they been genuine, they would have fetched a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of around $3.27 million. 

Counterfeit watches in Ohio.

Counterfeit watches seized by CBP.  (CBP)

Later that evening, CBP officers seized a Hong Kong-originated shipment containing 385 yellow gold Cartier Bracelets and 115 white gold Cartier bracelets. Had they been real, they would have had a total MSRP of more than $3 million. 

On Saturday, August 6, CBP officers seized yet another shipment from Hong Kong containing 13 fake Rolex watches. The items were destined for a business in Mesquite, Texas. Had these items been real, the watches would’ve fetched an MSRP price of more than $405,000. 

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"CBP is responsible for enforcing nearly 500 U.S. trade laws and regulations on behalf of 49 other federal agencies. CBP officers play a critical role in the Nation’s efforts to keep unsafe counterfeit and pirated goods from harming the American public," Richard Gillespie, Port Director of Cincinnati said in a press release.  

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CBP says the rapid growth of e-commerce has enabled counterfeit and pirated goods to enter the U.S. economy. The agency estimates that American consumers spend more than $100 billion every year on intellectual property rights (IPR) infringing goods, falling victim to around 20% of the counterfeits that are illegally sold worldwide.