LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — 480 pairs of fake Chanel earrings headed for a Little Rock apartment were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Tuesday.
Officers at the port of Memphis inspected a shipment from the United Arab Emirates listed as "Ladies Jewelry," officials said in a news release. Inside the shipment, CBPOs found the earrings which had the recorded trademarks of Chanel.
Officials said the earrings were identified as counterfeit based on the low value claimed, incorrect appearance and low-quality construction, and shoddy packaging method.
Chanel earrings of similar styles go for $425 to $700 and upwards, the press release stated. If the earrings seized had been authentic, and sold for the manufacturers’ suggested retail price, the value would have been $324,000.
“Counterfeit goods are poor quality products that cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars a year while robbing our country of jobs and tax revenues,” said Crystal Lopera, Assistant Area Port Director. “Consumers often believe they are buying a genuine product, possibly thinking they are receiving a great discount, but upon receiving them realize the item is a substandard fake.”
Customs and Border Protection data indicates that handbags, wallets, apparel, footwear, watches, jewelry, and consumer electronics are at higher risk of being counterfeited. In 2020, officers seized more than 26,500 shipments containing counterfeit goods that would have been worth nearly $1.3 billion had they been genuine.
