PITTSBURGH — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers made a particularly valuable seizure in Pittsburgh June 6.
In a release, CBP says its officers seized 13 counterfeit Rolex watches and 12 pairs of luxury, brand-name sunglasses bound for a Pittsburgh address.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the items would have been $573,200 if they were authentic.
CBP officers reportedly inspected the shipment April 27 after it arrived from the United Arab Emirates.
>>> PHOTOS: Counterfeit Rolexes, designer sunglasses seized by Pittsburgh customs officer
Declared as “Empty Poly Bag Ladies Hand Bag,” the shipment actually contained six Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust models, five Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona models and two Rolex Diamond Iced-Out models, as well as sunglasses with Burberry, Chanel, Gucci, Miu Miu and Valentino brand names.
Suspected of being counterfeit, the items were detained for further review. CBP trade experts then worked with the trademark holders to verify that the items were fake, making them subject to seizure.
International trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal, CBP says. It steals revenue from trademark holders and the government, funds transnational criminal organizations and threatens Americans’ health and safety because the goods are unregulated.
Counterfeiters may manufacture goods with substandard materials that could break easily or harm consumers, CBP says. They may also be sourced from or created in facilities that use forced labor.
“Unsuspecting consumers could be victimized twice by counterfeit products, such as these fake Rolex watches, because they may end up paying close to authentic prices for cheaper knockoffs, and they’ll learn that the product isn’t warrantied should it need repair,” said James Hindes, CBP’s acting port director in Pittsburgh. “Customs and Border Protection urges you to protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers.”
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