WASHINGTON: U.S Customs and Border Protection officials seized nearly $3 million in counterfeit Tiffany’s, Cartier, Bvlgari, Louis Vuitton and Rolex jewelry in Indianapolis late last month. According to a statement from customs this past week, the 1,190 pieces of jewelry were seized while en route to Texas from China. The shipment was valued at $2,994,450, if the merchandise was sold at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
“Protecting intellectual property rights is an important part of the CBP mission and critical to protecting American consumers,” said Chief CBP Officer Timothy Hubbard in a press release. “Our CBP officers and import specialists work diligently to protect businesses, consumers and our economy every day by combating the trade of counterfeit and pirated goods through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program. This seizure is fine example of that commitment.”