Pittsburgh CBP officers seize over $300,000 in counterfeit designer brand handbags, jewelry, and scarves from China

PITTSBURGH – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers remind consumers to be wary of counterfeit consumer products, including cheap knockoffs masquerading as high-end designer brands that will only separate you for your hard-earned savings, after officers seized a shipment of counterfeit handbags, jewelry, and scarves in Pittsburgh on Jan. 29.

This shipment, which was destined to an address in Pittsburgh, would have been valued at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $307,870, had it been authentic.

CBP officers inspected a parcel on Dec. 1 that arrived from China via air cargo. The parcel contained high-end designer brand products, including five handbags, five scarves, three bracelets, three necklaces, and a set of earrings bearing the brand names Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

CBP officers suspected the products to be counterfeit and detained the parcel for further investigation.

CBP officers submitted documentation and photographs to CBP’s trade experts at the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise for analysis. CBP’s trade experts worked with the trademark holders and verified that the products were counterfeit and subject to seizure pursuant to CBP’s statutory and regulatory authorities.

“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”, said Jason Hamilton, CBP’s port director at the Port of Pittsburgh. “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 consumer goods is illegal. It threatens the health and safety of American consumers, steals revenues from trademark holders and tax revenues from the government, and it funds transnational criminal organizations. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.

Counterfeiters manufacture consumer goods using substandard materials and parts that could prematurely break or harm consumers. Protect your families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers. Learn more about the consequences of counterfeits by visiting CBP’s Fake Goods Real Dangers webpage.

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program. During fiscal year 2025, CBP seized over 78,000,000 counterfeit goods with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price worth over $7.3 billion, had the goods been genuine.

News media can search for additional enforcement details by viewing CBP’s IPR webpage or by viewing CBP’s IPR Dashboard and CBP’s Annual IPR Seizures Reports.

U.S. trademark and copyright owners can register with CBP to have their intellectual property protected at the border through the through the e-Recordation program (https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/).

CBP encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise being illegally imported into the United States to submit an anonymous tip to CBP’s e-Allegation Program.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.