Chicago CBP officers intercept counterfeit designer products at O'Hare

CHICAGO - Customers and Border Protection officers at Chicago's O'Hare Airport seized hundreds of counterfeit designer products on Monday.

The two shipments of fake goods came from Thailand, and had the items been authentic, officials say they would have been worth nearly $400,000.

The first shipment contained the following fake items:

• Sunglasses bearing the trademarks of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Fendi
• Watches with trademarks of Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Rolex
• Necklaces with trademarks of Luis Vuitton, Chanel, and Tiffany
• Earrings with trademarks of Chanel and Versace
• Pendants and bracelets with trademarks of Chanel

The second shipment constrained the following counterfeit items:

• Earrings bearing the trademarks of Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Christian Dior, Fendi, Hermes, Michael Kors, Gucci, Chanel, Tory Burch, and Louis Vuitton
• Scarves with trademarks of Louis Vuitton and Gucci
• Belts with trademarks of Gucci and Louis Vuitton

"This is just another example of the work our officers do to protect consumers and the U.S. economy," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office.

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In fiscal year 2022, Customs and Border Protection officers nationwide seized over 24.5 million shipments of Intellectual Property Rights violations worth almost $3 billion.

"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," Sutton-Burke said.

In addition, officials say proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods have been found to fund criminal organizations that often are involved in money laundering and drug trafficking.