U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Louisville stopped a shipment Oct. 23 containing 460 counterfeit watches. Had these watches been genuine, the shipment would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of over $66 million.
The shipment from Hong Kong was headed for a residence in Texas when officers pulled the parcel for inspection. The examination revealed 460 watches bearing Audemars Piguet trademarks. The items were deemed to be inauthentic by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and were seized for bearing counterfeit versions of registered and recorded trademarks.
“In May, these CBP officers seized a shipment of counterfeit jewelry worth $14 million; in June, it was $54 million in counterfeit watches; in July, more counterfeit watches worth $28 million; and in August, it was 300 counterfeit watches worth $43 million,” said Louisville’s Port Director Philip Onken. “As you can see, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers, as trade grows at unprecedented rates.”
Illegitimate sales are some of the most profitable transnational crimes. Counterfeiters sell inauthentic versions of popular products in response to trends, often through online sources, which adversely impacts legitimate U.S. businesses. These items, including fake medications, perfumes, cosmetics, children’s toys and costumes; fashion, jewelry, luxury products, and unsafe electronics and automotive parts, can pose health and safety risks to American consumers as they are often made with substandard or harmful materials.
To guarantee you are getting what you paid for consumers should shop from reputable sources. Each time a counterfeit good is purchased, a legitimate company loses revenue. This translates to lost profits and the loss of U.S. jobs over time. CBP targets and seizes imports of IPR violative goods. Counterfeits are a global problem with nearly 90% of CBP’s IPR seizures originating from China and Hong Kong in Fiscal Year 2025.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection