LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville seized more counterfeit designer jewelry on Monday night.
CBP officers, according to a news release, seized 1,747 counterfeit jewelry items, that if real, would be worth more than $12 million.
The shipment of counterfeit jewelry came from Hong Kong, on its way to a residence in Ontario, Canada, according to CBP officials. The shipment, which was poorly made and packaged, had fake goods from designer names like Van Cleef and Arpels, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Gucci.
“CBP is responsible for enforcing all U.S. trade laws and regulations on behalf of 49 other federal agencies. CBP officers play a critical role in the Nation’s efforts to keep unsafe counterfeit and pirated goods from harming the American public,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office, in a news release. “This is yet another dramatic example of how CBP officers work every day to protect the American consumer, the US economy and US jobs.”
CBP officials said counterfeiting is "a hugely profitable business," and trafficking of counterfeit goods gives criminals a free source of income and a way to launder money.
Last year, CBP officials seized more than 24.5 million shipments of counterfeit goods nationwide, which would have been worth about $3 billion if the goods were real.
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