CBP Chicago Seizes Over $9 Million In Counterfeit Watches In April, Along With Thousands Of Counterfeit Driver’s Licenses

In the month of April alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Chicago intercepted 145 shipments of counterfeit watches worth more than $9 million, along with 340 shipments containing counterfeit drivers licenses.

In total, CBP officers stationed at the International Mail Facility, the Express Consignment Operations hub, the Cargo Examination Station, and Chicago OHare International Airport seized 516 counterfeit watches with logos representing Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega, Audemars Piguet, and others, from 145 separate shipments. If genuine, the watches would have had a total retail value of more than $9.22 million.

“Intellectual property theft threatens Americas economic vitality and funds criminal activities as well as organized crime,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations, Chicago Field Office, said in a statement. “Our employees are dedicated to protecting private industry and consumers by removing these kinds of goods from our commerce.”

CBP officers also seized a total of 4,345 counterfeit driver’s licenses across 340 shipments destined to locations across the U.S. Only two companies are authorized by the U.S. State Department to print international drivers licenses in the U.S.: The American Automobile Association (AAA) or American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA).

“These counterfeit drivers licenses can lead to disastrous consequences,” said Michael Pfeiffer, Area Port Director, Chicago. “Foreign Terrorist Organizations, criminal organizations, and persons involved in fraud schemes use these counterfeit IDs to avoid attracting attention to their illegal activities. Our CBP officers were able to identify these very realistic counterfeits and stop them from reaching their destinations.”

All 485 shipments came from Hong Kong and China, CBP said.