U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Tuesday intercepted a shipment of fake luxury jewelry headed for an address in Hutchinson, Minn.
Shipment of fake luxury jewelry seized at MSP
The counterfeit products, if authentic, would be valued at nearly $482,000.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 4, 2024 at 12:06PM
Agents working in the airport’s express consignment facility noticed the shipment containing hundreds of designer bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces was erroneously manifested, lacked labels and had incorrect packaging after it arrived from Hong Kong. The agents confiscated the merchandise for infringing on the designers’ protected trademarks, a statement from CBP said.
“This just goes to show you how criminals are using express consignment facilities to ship their items to unsuspecting consumers damaging our economy,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operations in the CBP’s Chicago field office. “CBP is the first line of defense, and we will continue to protect the safety of consumers.”
Had the phony 364 pieces of jewelry bearing the logos of brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Gucci been authentic, the products would have had a value of nearly $482,000, CPB said.
Last year, CBP seized more than 19,000 shipments containing nearly 23 million counterfeit items across the country.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
