U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Wilmington, Delaware, have seized a shipment of counterfeit designer handbags nearly two weeks after seizing a shipment of counterfeit Lululemon belt bags.
If the counterfeit handbags had been authentic, officials said they would have been valued at $151,431.
Officials said Customs and Border Protection officers had initially inspected the shipment on Sept. 4 after it arrived from China. Officers had found inside 26 handbags bearing luxury brand names, such as Chanel, Goyard, Gucci, Hermes, Loewe, and Louis Vuitton.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Officers suspected the handbags may have been fake and detained the shipment to certify its authenticity, according to officials.
After an analysis, Customs and Border Protection trade experts verified that the handbags were counterfeit, and officers seized the shipment –which was destined for an address in Newark, Delaware — on Friday, Sept. 20.
“Unscrupulous vendors that peddle counterfeit consumer goods continue to place their profits over your health and safety. Customs and Border Protection urges you to protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers,” Customs and Border Protection’s Port Director for the Port of Wilmington Erik Kelling said in a news release.
