More than $300K worth of counterfeit designer bags and jewelry seized in Pittsburgh

More than $300,000 worth of counterfeit designer bags and jewelry were seized in Pittsburgh, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Tuesday. 

The agency said officers inspected a parcel on Dec. 1 that arrived from China via air cargo and was destined for a Pittsburgh address. It contained high-end designer products like handbags, scarves, bracelets, necklaces and earrings bearing brand names like Chanel, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. Suspecting the products were fake, officers detained the parcel for further investigation. 

Customs and Border Protection sent documentation and photographs to trade experts who worked with trademark holders to confirm the products were counterfeit. Had they been real, they would have been worth over $307,000, the agency said. 

"Unfortunately, today's global marketplace has provided an attractive platform for bad actors in China to export their illegal and dangerous knockoff goods to unwitting Americans," Jason Hamilton, the Port of Pittsburgh's director, said in a press release. "Make no mistake, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will resolutely protect the homeland, American consumers and businesses by intercepting these, poor quality, fake goods."

Trade in counterfeit goods is illegal, Customs and Border Protection says. According to the agency, counterfeiters make goods using substandard materials and parts that could break and hurt consumers. It also funds transnational criminal organizations, and the goods may be made in facilities that employ forced labor, CBP says. 

During the fiscal year 2025, Customs and Border Protection said it seized 78 million counterfeit goods that could have been worth over $7.3 million.