CBP seizes 516 fake watches from shipments
Throughout April
By Adam Harrington, Zak Spector
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CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents said Thursday that they found fake watches in Chicago that would be worth millions of they were real.
Throughout April, CBP officers at the International Mail Facility, the Express Consignment Operations hub, the Chicago Examination Station, and O’Hare International Airport, intercepted 145 shipments of counterfeit watches and 340 shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses, according to a news release.
The shipments all came from Hong Kong and China, according to the CBP. In all, there were 516 counterfeit watches with the logos of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega, and Audemars Piguet, among others.
If genuine, they would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of more than $9.22 million, the CBP said. But genuine they were not.
“Intellectual property theft threatens America’s economic vitality and funds criminal activities as well as organized crime,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for the CBP Chicago Field Office, said in a news release. “Our employees are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of goods from our commerce.”
Electronic commerce allows consumers to purchase products easily online, but also gives easy access to those selling counterfeit and pirated goods, the CBP noted.
CBP Chicago Area Port Director Michael Pfeiffer also warned that counterfeit driver’s licenses can lead to “disastrous consequences,” and could be used by foreign terrorist organizations, criminal organizations, and fraudsters.
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