US Customs Seizes 1,500 Fake ‘Hermés’ Handbags

If genuine, the seized handbags had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $14.1 million.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists assigned to the Los Angeles-Long Beach seaport complex have seized 1,500 high-fashion leather handbags bearing counterfeit “Hermés” trademarks.

The merchandise arrived from China in two shipments. If the goods had been genuine, the seized handbags would have an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $14.1 million, Customs said.

Nationwide, handbags and wallets comprised the greatest number of counterfeit items seized by the agency in 2012. Of the approximately $511 million in handbags and wallets seized, more than $446 million came from China.