Just ahead of the holiday shopping season, more than $9 million worth of counterfeit designer goods was seized at the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport.
The incident occurred Monday when agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at DFW were examining a shipment of 148 boxes from China. The shipment was manifested as “Ladies Sweater Ladies Sweatpants.”
CBP reportedly discovered poorly packaged footwear, handbags and textiles bearing protected designer trademarks such as Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Adidas’ Yeezy designer footwear line.
Agents suspected that the imported merchandise may have been counterfeit due to the poor quality of workmanship and packaging inconsistent with genuine merchandise, said Timothy M. Lemaux, CBP port director for the Port of Dallas.
Agents determined that the items were counterfeit and infringed on protected trademarks. CBP provided the importer an opportunity to provide documentation of applicable licenses or agreements permitting the use of those registered trademarks prior to the seizure.
The counterfeit footwear, handbags and textiles had a total street value of $9.3 million, according to CBP.
“Criminal organizations are well aware that consumers will be shopping online for the best deals this holiday season,” Lemaux said in a release.
By the end of fiscal year 2020, CBP recorded more than 23,700 seizures of counterfeit goods with an estimated value of $1.2 billion.
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