Large counterfeit jewelry shipment seized in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A large shipment of fake jewelry from Hong Kong was seized earlier this month in Philadelphia, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday.

If the jewelry had been authentic, it would have had a retail value of about $1.4 million.

The items were seized on March 6 following an investigation that began on February 13.

Officials said they became suspicious of a parcel that was found to contain "various designer brand jewelry of poor quality and packaging."

Samples were analyzed and determined to be counterfeit, the CBP said.

The parcel contained necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and diamond pendants bearing the names Cartier, Chanel, Bvlgari, and Tous, according to the CBP.

On a typical day in 2017, Customs and Border Protection officers seized $3.3 million worth of counterfeit products nationwide. They say stopping this illegal trade is a critical part of protecting the American economy.

"When we find it, it just doesn't stop here. We work with our local, state, and federal counterparts and what we do, lot of times, is we deliver these parcels and we find out who is on the receiving end," said Ed Moriarty, acting Port Director for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in Philadelphia.

CBP officials also point out that a lot of times the money made from the sale of these counterfeit items goes to find criminal enterprises abroad, including terrorism.

This was the second significant seizure recently here in Philadelphia. On February 28th, officers seized more than $230,000 worth of fake designer watches in another shipment from Hong Kong.

------

Send a News Tip to Action News

Learn More About 6abc Apps