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Customs Seizes More Than 400 Fake Audemars Piguet Watches
It is one of several seizures of counterfeit jewelry and watches by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in Louisville this year.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 460 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches in Louisville, Kentucky, late last month. (Image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Louisville, Ky.—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville, Kentucky, recently intercepted a shipment containing hundreds of counterfeit watches.
CBP announced that on Oct. 23, its officers seized a package from Hong Kong that was headed to a residence in Texas and contained 460 watches.
The watches, which had Audemars Piguet trademarks, were found 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.
If these watches had been genuine, the shipment would have been worth more than $66 million, CBP said.
Louisville’s Port Director Philip Onken noted that this shipment was one of many seized in the city’s port over the last few months.
“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,” Onken said.
“As you can see, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers, as trade grows at unprecedented rates.”
Nearly 90 percent of CBP’s intellectual property rights seizures originated from China and Hong Kong in fiscal year 2025, said the agency.
The sale of counterfeit goods often benefits transnational crimes, said CBP, and negatively impacts legitimate U.S. businesses.
“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 said.
These goods also can pose health and safety risks to consumers because they often are made with substandard or harmful materials.
CBP advised consumers to shop from reputable sources and is raising public awareness through its “Truth Behind Counterfeits” webpage.
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CBP announced that on Oct. 23, its officers seized a package from Hong Kong that was headed to a residence in Texas and contained 460 watches.
The watches, which had Audemars Piguet trademarks, were found 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.
If these watches had been genuine, the shipment would have been worth more than $66 million, CBP said.
Louisville’s Port Director Philip Onken noted that this shipment was one of many seized in the city’s port over the last few months.
“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,” Onken said.
“As you can see, our officers are working hard to identify threats and shut down illicit suppliers, as trade grows at unprecedented rates.”
The package originated in Hong Kong and was heading to a residence in Texas. (Image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Nearly 90 percent of CBP’s intellectual property rights seizures originated from China and Hong Kong in fiscal year 2025, said the agency.
The sale of counterfeit goods often benefits transnational crimes, said CBP, and negatively impacts legitimate U.S. businesses.
“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 said.
These goods also can pose health and safety risks to consumers because they often are made with substandard or harmful materials.
CBP advised consumers to shop from reputable sources and is raising public awareness through its “Truth Behind Counterfeits” webpage.
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