This fake Cartier “Juste Un Clou” bracelet was among the pieces customs agents seized in Louisville, Kentucky, last week. Agents intercepted more than 2,000 pieces that would have been worth $25 million if genuine. CBP said it destroys a “vast majority” of the counterfeit jewelry it seizes. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Louisville, Ky.—Late last week, customs agents in Kentucky intercepted thousands more pieces of counterfeit jewelry designed to pass as genuine pieces from two popular Richemont-owned brands.
On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Louisville reported that last Thursday and Friday, officers intercepted a total of five shipments of counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry as well as fake Cartier bracelets.
The shipments all originated from China or Hong Kong, CBP said, and the jewelry would have been worth $25 million if genuine.
The first shipment arrived in Louisville on Thursday.
Shipped from China and headed to a residence in Pennsylvania, the parcel contained 318 Cartier bracelets stamped with a trademark that CBP’s trade experts determined was fake.
Later that night, officers seized another shipment, this one from Hong Kong and heading to a home in a Tampa, Florida.
It contained 490 necklaces, 205 pairs of earrings, and 80 rings, all bearing inauthentic Van Cleef & Arpels trademarks and intended to mimic the brand’s iconic “Alhambra” design.
This image provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows some of the counterfeit Van Cleef & Arpels “Alhambra” jewelry seized by agents.
The following evening, three more shipments rolled in the Louisville facility from China that contained 800 fake Cartier bracelets in total.
CBP said two of the shipments were bound for a residence in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while the third was headed to a business in Wyoming, Michigan.
It refers all seizures to Homeland Security Investigations, which ultimately makes the decision on pursuing a case against the senders of these shipments.
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CBP said counterfeit goods, like the 2,000-plus pieces of fake Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry found in Kentucky, are sold in underground outlets and on third party e-commerce sites.
Often, consumers buy them thinking they are getting an authentic piece of brand-name fine jewelry or a genuine luxury handbag but later find the item they purchased is of poor quality.
The sale of counterfeit goods benefits organized crime gangs and smugglers, and the products are often made using “harmful and banned” materials by laborers operating under sub-standard conditions, CBP noted.
To avoid buying fakes, CBP recommends consumers know the market value of the item they are purchasing—if the price seems too good to be true, then the merchandise probably is fake—and buy only from legitimate websites with customer service contact information and a stated return policy.
