U.S. Customs and Protection seized $1.3 million worth of counterfeit, trademarked handbags and accessories at O'Hare airport in Chicago. The shipment was bound to Toronto from Hong Kong.
The shipment contained more than 2,000 items, including wallets, handbags, purses and tote bags bearing protected trademarks. The merchandise had a suggested retail price of more than $1.3 million and a domestic value of more than $300,000. Included in the shipment were counterfeit Prada and Coach handbags, Gucci and Louis Vuitton wallets, Chanel belts and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Brett Sturgeon, public liaison officer with the Customs and Border Protection's Chicago office, said at this time, it doesn't look like any arrests would be made in relation to the "large" seizure. He said the office will now alert the shipper and consignee of the merchandise seizure.
The shipment was found during a warehouse sweep by border officials. We've always wondered what happens to all the fake handbags that U.S. Customs seizes? Do they store them in a giant warehouse with millions of boxes, like the warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark where the Ark of the Covenant ended up? Or do they burn them in some kind of ritual bonfire?
The Source
