Customs Agents In Cincinnati Confiscate $8M In Fake Merchandise In Three Days

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says counterfeit goods help fund organized crime.

An example from U.S. Customs & Border Protection showing how closely a knockoff item can resemble the actual brand-name item. One of these Breitling Navitimer 01 Blue Dial watches will cost you close to $6,000 while the other may only cost you a few hundred bucks.

(Hebron, Ky.) – Local customs agents are keeping fake designer merchandise off the streets.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Cincinnati’s Express Consignment Operations hub unveiled this week a haul of counterfeit items that were seized during a three-day period last month.

Nearly $8 million in Chinese-made belts, purses and watches were collected and will be destroyed. 

“These, and other counterfeit items, are seized because they represent a violation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).  These violations undermine research and development efforts in new technologies, and rob from the investment and creativity of legitimate businesses,” according to the agency.

How do the CBP agents spot the counterfeit items which so closely resemble the actual brand-name items?

“The officers are vigilantly analyzing packages to determine if there may be an IPR violation. If they believe there may be a violation, the officer will send photos and information to a Center of Excellence and Expertise, where an import specialist, who has specialized training in identifying counterfeit merchandise, will make a determination. If the determination is made that the shipment is an IPR violation, then CBP detains the merchandise.”

CBP says the profits made from selling the knock-offs frequently support other criminal activity such as money laundering and organized crime.