Crime & Safety
Feds Seize 364 Pieces Of Fake Jewelry In Minneapolis From Hong Kong
The shipment — which arrived from Hong Kong — contained jewelry bearing the trademarks of famous luxury brands, authorities said.
![The items infringed on the designer’s protected trademarks, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.](https://patch.com/img/cdn20/shutterstock/22887410/20240405/043825/styles/patch_image/public/shutterstock-43250812___05163633116.jpg)
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities say they intercepted a shipment in Minneapolis filled with 364 pieces of counterfeit designer bracelets, earrings, rings, and necklaces on April 2.
The shipment — which arrived from Hong Kong — contained jewelry bearing the trademarks of famous luxury brands, including:
- 124 bracelets bearing the logos of Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier, and Chanel
- 96 pairs of earrings bearing the logos of Tory Burch, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci
- 84 necklaces bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci
- 60 rings bearing the logos of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, and Gucci.
The items infringed on the designer’s protected trademarks, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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The items bore counterfeit marks as the shipment was "mis-manifested," the merchandise was of poor quality, lacked labels, and had incorrect packaging, authorities said.
The shipment was heading to a residence in Hutchinson and had the items been real, the MSRP for these products would have been over $482,000, according to investigators.
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"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 D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office, in a statement.
"I want to congratulate our officers for their outstanding job. CBP is the first line of defense, and we will continue to protect the safety of consumers."
Counterfeiting is a "hugely profitable" business, with criminals relying on the continued high demand for cheap goods coupled with low production costs.
The trafficking of counterfeit goods is a massively profitable illicit business and offers criminals a complementary source of income and a way through which they can launder money, authorities said.
In fiscal year 23, CBP reportedly seized 19,522 shipments with intellectual property rights violations for a total of nearly 23 million counterfeit items.
If the seized products were genuine, their total MSRP would be valued at $2.4 billion, according to investigators.
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