MIAMI — It was a busy summer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and import specialists who seized more than $11 million in high-fashion counterfeit handbags at Miami’s seaport as part of an aggressive enforcement program leading to a string of high value seizures.
Counterfeit item seized at Miami's seaport.
“We’ve seen a proliferation of a new generation of counterfeit goods.” said Acting Miami Seaport Director Kenneth Haefner. “Strong partnerships, effective targeting of shipments and the dedication of our CBP officers and import specialists are essential in efforts to curb the flow of fake goods.”
In mid-July, CBP’s Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center, which streamlines and enhances federal efforts to address import safety issues, targeted the shipments for further examination where they discovered 10,788 high-fashion counterfeit Gucci and Coach handbags valued at an estimated Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $4.9 million.
And in two separate seizures in the month of August, CBP officers intercepted shipments from China that contained 10,200 counterfeit Gucci and Luis Vuitton handbags, with a MSRP of $6.7 million.
Counterfeit handbags seized by CBP.
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center is one of the U.S. government’s key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. As the federal agency responsible for the management, control and protection of U.S. borders, CBP is on the frontline of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement. The men and women of CBP protect the nation's economy, the safety of its people, and our national security against harm from counterfeit and pirated goods.
The IPR center encourages members of the general public, industry, trade associations, law enforcement and government agencies to report violations of intellectual property rights by visiting StopFakes.gov.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Florida includes travel and trade facilitation and securing over 1,200 miles of the coastal border. Find out more and get real-time updates at @CBPFlorida on Twitter.