Customs agents nab knockoff Rolexes, sunglasses sent from Middle East to Pittsburgh

Border guards seized more than a dozen knockoff Rolex watches and 12 pairs of counterfeit, designer-imitating sunglasses — with a street value of $573,000 — that arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Thursday.

The suspect shipment, whose contents were labeled “Empty poly bag ladies hand bag,” arrived at the Findlay airport April 27, said Steve Sapp, a spokesman in the customs agency’s Baltimore field office. It had been sent from the United Arab Emirates.

The shipment contained 13 different Rolexes, Sapp said. The sunglasses, which were deemed counterfeit, bore names of brands ranging from Burberry and Chanel to Gucci and Valentino.

The air cargo was seized June 6.

Sapp told TribLive the package was addressed to a location in the city of Pittsburgh. He declined to provide the address.

“We try to express upon consumer: look, these things are no good,” Sapp told TribLive. “If it breaks, you’re out of luck because manufacturers won’t honor that warrantee.”

The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal, the customs agency said. It steals revenues from trademark holders and tax revenues from the government. The industry also funds transnational criminal organizations.

“Unsuspecting consumers could be victimized twice by counterfeit products, such as these fake Rolex watches, because they may end up paying close to authentic prices for cheaper knockoffs,” said James Hindes, the customs agency’s acting port director in Pittsburgh.

The customs agency operates an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights program, Sapp said. In fiscal year 2024, they seized more than 32,000 items nationwide with a retail value of about $5.4 billion.