$366K In Knockoff Perfumes Seized At Port Of Long Beach
LONG BEACH (CBSLA) – Tens of thousands of dollars' worth of counterfeit perfumes for designer brands like Dior and Chanel which had been shipped from Hong Kong were seized at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport.
The 3,738 counterfeit bottles were discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers off a single shipment that was supposed to only contain cell phone accessories, the CBP reported Thursday.
If genuine, the knockoff perfumes would have had a value estimated at around $366,000, CBP reported.
"In this case, we have succeeded in our mission by protecting the American consumer from the potential harm associated with counterfeit perfumes, which can sometimes contain unknown chemicals, and by protecting the intellectual property rights of legitimate businesses," said Carlos C. Martel, director for the CBP Office of Field Operations in L.A., in a statement.
In the 2020 fiscal year CBP officers nationwide seized more than 26,500 shipments of goods that, if genuine, would have been worth an estimated $1.3 billion.