U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Wilmington have seized over $150,000 in counterfeit luxury handbags, authorities announced Tuesday.
The bags arrived in an express air cargo shipment from China on Sept. 4 destined for an address in Newark, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. All 26 purses had luxury brand names, including Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton, which made officials suspect they were counterfeit.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they detained the shipment and submitted documentation and photographs to the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise for analysis. Trade experts there determined that the bags were in fact counterfeit, and the shipment was sized by officers Friday.
A similar seizure occurred a week prior following a monthlong investigation into two shipments of Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bags from China to an address in Wilmington. Had the 277 bags been authentic, they would have been worth a total of $13,000.
WHAT HAPPENED:Lululemon belt bags are so popular that customs in Wilmington seized this many knock-offs
“Unscrupulous vendors that peddle counterfeit consumer goods continue to place their profits over your health and safety,” said Erik Kelling, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Port Director for the Port of Wilmington. “Customs and Border Protection urges you to protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers.”
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