CBP intercepts package at Port of Louisville containing $43M in counterfeit watches

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Officials intercepted a package last week at the Port of Louisville containing millions of dollars in counterfeit luxury watches.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted the package from Hong Kong on July 31 as it was headed to a home in Houston, Texas.

Inside the package, officers found 300 Audemars Piguet watches that were deemed inauthentic. Had they been legitimate, the combined manufacturer's suggested retail price would have been more than $43 million.

"It is important for consumers to become aware that criminals try to scam shoppers into buying low quality and potentially dangerous counterfeit items," Louisville Port Director Philip Onken said in a news release Friday.

This is the third package of counterfeit watches seized by CBP during June and July. Officials said all packages came from Hong Kong.

A shipment seized July 9 contained 200 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches with an MSRP of over $28 million, had they been authentic. On June 30, officers seized a shipment containing 375 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches, with an MSRP of over $54 million.

Combined, the seized watches would have a combined MSRP of over $1.25 billion had all watches been real.