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U.S. Customs Seize $2.6M Worth of Fake Watches Illegally Bound for Puerto Rico from China

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The suggested retail price of the real watches estimated at $2.6 million

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.S. Customs and Border Protection San Juan Field Operations announced on Wednesday the seizure of 20 counterfeit luxury watches worth an estimated $2.6 million being illegally imported into Puerto Rico from China via international courier.

CBP officers detained the shipments, deciding that the low quality of the products and the low-value packaging and delivery method were not common for such high-end original merchandise.

CBP import specialists appraised the imported merchandise and determined that the shipments violated the intellectual property rights of the manufacturers of Cartier, Patek Phillipe, Hublot and Audermar Piguet products.

“Consumers purchase products for the intrinsic value and quality that the recognized brand provides, which is then used by counterfeiters to make a profit with a low-quality version,” said Edward Ryan, assistant director of trade for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. “We remain committed to protect legitimate businesses and consumers from intellectual property thieves.”

Counterfeit and pirated products threaten economic security and undermine legitimate businesses that invest significant resources into manufacturing safe, quality products.

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive IPR enforcement program. CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforces exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR goods.

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