More than $90,000 in counterfeit shoes, clothing and jewelry was seized over the weekend at Pittsburgh International Airport, according to the U.S. Office of Customs and Border Protection.
Officers stopped two shipments from Hong Kong on Saturday. One, labeled as men’s shoes, was bound for a Pittsburgh address. It contained a fake Rolex watch, Louis Vuitton bracelet, Gucci jacket, Christian Louboutin shoes, and other counterfeit clothes, the agency reported.
The second shipment was labeled as phone cases and headed for Blawnox. It contained fake charms and jewelry purportedly from Chanel and other designer brands, customs said. The agency confirmed with the brand owners that the goods were counterfeit.
When customs agents seize counterfeit goods, a letter is sent to the intended recipients informing them of the seizure. It also passes the information over to Homeland Security officials, who may investigate further, according to customs spokesman Steve Sapp.
In cases like this, a criminal investigation is unlikely. The goods, had they been real, would have been worth about $91,000. That’s a relatively small haul, likely bought by individual purchasers rather than a larger organization.
Nationwide, customs agents stops about $3.7 million worth of counterfeit products each day. The average seizure is worth about $41,000, as measured by the total suggested retail value of the seized items had they been genuine.
The agency does not have specific statistics related to seizures in Pittsburgh, but most international airports can be targeted by counterfeiters, Sapp said.
“Anywhere you can get express delivery services from China or Hong Kong has an opportunity to be a pass-through for counterfeit stuff,” he said.
In 2010 and 2011, customs paid special attention to counterfeit Penguins merchandise in the run-up to the 2011 NHL Winter Classic in Pittsburgh, seizing millions of dollars in fake jerseys and other items, Sapp said.
