16000 designer handbags seized by customs - Press-Enterprise

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials seized more than 16,000 counterfeit designer handbags with a legitimate market value of $210 million.

Customs officials at the port in Los Angeles and Long Beach intercepted nine shipments of fake Hermes purses and handbags from June 6 to Sept. 17. The shipments were taken to the Department of Homeland Security seized-property warehouse in Riverside.

Inside the shipment were 16,053 counterfeit bags intermixed with legitimate shipments of lower-end unmarked bags to conceal the black-market haul.

The domestic value of the counterfeit bags, including the cost and shipping costs, totaled $295,665. The suggested manufacturer retail value would be $210.8 million if the bags had been genuine and sold legitimately.

In a large, unmarked warehouse in Riverside, nearly 1,600 large cardboard boxes were stacked Thursday, with a few select counterfeit bags scattered on top.

The French Hermes bags can usually retail for $9,400 to $18,000 per bag, said Elva Muneton, assistant port director of trade.

Customs agents planned to investigate and seek up to the $210 million in value from five importers who ordered the nine shipments from China and Hong Kong. Eight of the shipments were set to be distributed in Southern California. One was destined for Texas.

“People think they’re probably getting a deal by not paying the $5,000 to $10,000 costs,” Muneton said. “Unless you look closely, you may not really be able to tell it’s counterfeit.”

The bags have the same trademark hexagon symbol as Hermes, but instead of crafted leather, they may be made of plastic or with poor stitching, Muneton said.

Customs and Border Protection officials watch for anomalies in shipping patterns and may target suspicious shipments before they arrive at the port in Los Angeles.

Customs officials can inspect packages once they arrive. During these shipments, the legitimate unmarked bags matched the shipping paperwork, but were used to conceal the counterfeit designer bags packed deeper in the shipment.

Customs officials inspect the material of the bags and packing materials, which will signal a counterfeit shipment, Muneton said.

Though the counterfeit bags are being stored in Riverside, at the end of the investigation, the shipments of handbags will be destroyed.