Los Angeles: an almost genuine treasure hoard
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport had a successful Fiscal Year 2021 (1 October 2020 – 30 September 2021). The number of trade enforcement seizures increased by 24% and the overall value of these seizures increased by 652% over the previous year.
Recently, CBP officers seized in coordination with import specialists from the consumer products and mass merchandising (CPMM) centre of excellence and expertise almost 13,600 counterfeit designer products arriving in a containerised cargo shipment from China.
They discovered handbags, backpacks, shirts, and pants bearing numerous registered and recorded trademarks, such as Gucci, Chanel, Fendi, YSL and Louis Vuitton. If genuine, the seized merchandise would have a combined estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of more than USD 30 million. (sh)