U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Kentucky recently seized millions of dollars’ worth of counterfeit luxury goods, officials announced Wednesday. The items, shipped from Hong Kong and Taiwan, were intercepted in Louisville across three separate shipments last week.
On Friday, two parcels from Hong Kong—one headed to Staten Island, New York, and the other to Texas—contained 400 fake Cartier watches, 26 Moncler hats, 30 Chrome Hearts hats, eight additional Cartier watches, and 13 Audemars Piguet timepieces. A third package from Taiwan, destined for Houston and seized Monday, held 80 counterfeit Rolex Cosmograph watches and 80 Rolex Day-Date watches. Experts confirmed that the items illegally displayed the trademarks of Cartier, Audemars Piguet, Moncler, Chrome Hearts, and Rolex, with a combined retail value exceeding $18.6 million if authentic.
Officials emphasized that counterfeit goods pose economic and safety risks, particularly during the holiday shopping season. Authorities warned consumers to purchase only from reputable retailers and be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true. The seizures are part of broader enforcement efforts: in fiscal year 2025, CBP confiscated nearly 79 million counterfeit items with a potential street value of more than $7.3 billion, including clothing, electronics, toys, and medications. Federal regulations allow authorities to detain, seize, or destroy imported goods bearing illegally used trademarks or copyrights, with violations potentially including false origin markings, health or safety risks, and misclassification.