US officials seize Cartier and Tiffany counterfeits

US officials have seized counterfeit Tiffany, Cartier and Rolex jewellery worth almost $3 million after a series of raids.

Officials from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said yesterday, June 9, that jewellery with an estimated street value of $2.9 million had been seized after a raid Indianapolis last month.

According to officials, the jewellery had come from China and was making its way to Texas.

In a separate investigation, and after a month long enforcement surge, officials from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), recovered an estimated $28,000 worth of counterfeit branded merchandise purporting to be from the National Basketball Association.

Among the items seized were counterfeit caps, t-shirts and team flags.

Timothy Hubbard, chief CBP officer, said: “Officers and import specialists work diligently to protect businesses, consumers and our economy every day by combating the trade of counterfeit and pirated goods through an aggressive intellectual property rights enforcement program.”