Customs agents in Louisville seize 130 designer watches worth $4.24M

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Customs officers in Kentucky seized nine shipments of counterfeit watches during July that would command a street value of $4.24 million if genuine, authorities said.

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According to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the nine shipments originating from Hong Kong contained 130 counterfeit watches.

Trade experts at the Centers of Excellence and Expertise determined that all of the watches were counterfeit, the CBP said. They displayed logos from designer brands such as Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Hubolt, Cartier, Bvlgari and Audemars Piguet.

Customs officials said that Florida was the final destination for most of the watches.

“This is just another example of the work our officers do to protect consumers and the U.S. economy,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for the Chicago Field Office, said in a statement. “As consumers increasingly purchase from online or third-party vendors, our officers are at the frontline to guard against defrauders expecting to make money selling fake merchandise.”