On November 28, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati seized a shipment of 52 counterfeit designer watches from Colombia. The shipment was headed to a residence in Washington. If genuine, the watches would have been worth about $6.37 million. The items had counterfeit trademarks of brands such as Richard Mille, Rolex, Hublot, Cartier, and Casio. CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise confirmed the watches were not authentic, and the items were seized.
LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations for the Chicago Field Office, said enforcing intellectual property rights is important as e-commerce grows. She stated that CBP works to protect businesses and consumers from intellectual property theft.
Counterfeit goods, including fake medications, cosmetics, toys, and electronics, can pose health and safety risks because they may contain unsafe materials. The sale of counterfeit items also affects legitimate U.S. businesses and the economy…