US Seizes $14 Million of Fake Designer Branded Jewelry

Image courtesy: cbp.com

Amidst the popularity of high-end jewelry like Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, the influx, or attempted influx, of knockoff pieces continues. In the latest incident on May 1, 2026, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) nabbed a single shipment of nearly 1700 jewelry items, which, if legitimate, would have been worth more than $14 million.

Headed for Chicago, Illinois, from Hong Kong, the shipment was stopped at the port in Louisville, Kentucky. Upon examination, CBP officials discovered 1,227 bracelets and 395 necklaces that “appeared identical” to those by Cartier, Van Cleef, and Tiffany. CBP’s trade experts at its Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise, working with the brands, determined the items to be inauthentic.

CBP Louisville Port Director Phil Onken said,

“Our primary concerns for situations like these are consumer safety and trademark protection . . .Customs and Border Protection will continue to work closely with our trade and consumer safety partners to identify and seize counterfeit and trademark infringing merchandise, especially those products that pose a potential harm to American consumers. Counterfeits like these defraud the user and are frequently inferior. They do not meet the quality standards of the real item.”

CBP also reminds the public of the dangers of fake goods, including threatening the health and safety of Americans, stealing intellectual property, avoiding tax payments, and funding criminal investigations. Learn more here.