INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of counterfeit watches containing faux designs from designer brands were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Indianapolis Wednesday night.
Officers confiscated two shipments containing 362 counterfeit design watches that displayed logos of Rolex, Michael Kors, Versace, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci and Pandora.
The items were “poorly packed and constructed” and were also missing serial numbers. CBP officers seized the watches for infringing on the designers' protected trademarks.
Those shipments were heading to a home in Mesquite, Texas, officials said. Had the watches been genuine, the manufacturer's suggested retail price would have been more than $2.43 million.
Both shipments arrived from China.
“Seizures, like these, will ensure inferior, often dangerous goods, do not fall into the hands of everyday Americans,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “Counterfeit jewelry is often forged with lead and other hazardous materials unbeknownst to the buyer. These seizures protect the rights of the intellectual property rights holder, the health and safety of Americans, and the reputation of online marketplaces involved in these transactions.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said illicit trafficking of counterfeit goods offers criminals a complementary source of income and a way through which they can launder money.
Additionally, money received from the sale of counterfeit products can be channeled toward the further production of fake goods or other illicit activities.
Nationwide in 2022, CBP seized more than 24.5 million shipments of Intellectual Property Rights violations, which would have been worth just shy of $3 billion, had the goods been genuine.
The items were deemed to be counterfeit by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
CBP encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise illegally imported into the United States to submit an e-Allegation. The e-Allegation system provides a means for the public to anonymously report to CBP any suspected violations of trade laws or regulations related to the importation of goods in the U.S.