Shipments containing hundreds of counterfeit handbags, wallets, and other merchandise originating in Laos have been confiscated by US federal agents.
The counterfeit items, bound for Minneapolis, a city in Minnesota State, were confiscated by US federal agents, according to a report by Minneapolis newspaper The Star Tribune.
The federal agents said the confiscated items had an estimated USD 560,000 value had they entered the retail market.
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport determined the handbags, wallets, and phone cases were in violation of trademark and copyright codes.
The items, originating in Laos, bore trademarks and logos of fashion houses including Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel.
One shipment was bound for a home in Minneapolis, while the other was heading for a house in Wisconsin.
According to the CBP, counterfeit merchandise is often made of inferior products, processed under unregulated and unhealthy conditions, and labeled with false information.
A similar shipment valued at over USD 400,000 originating in Laos was confiscated in December last year.
