1,500 counterfeit purses seized in LA

LOS ANGELES, March 6 (UPI) -- U.S. border officials said they seized 1,500 counterfeit Hermes handbags from China at the Port of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times said genuine Hermes bags sell for thousands of dollars and if the shipments were real they would have been worth $14 million.

The shipments were discovered Feb. 12 and Feb. 26, the Times said.

Importing counterfeit purses and wallets is a growing trend, with a 142 percent increase in 2012 from 2011, the customs agency said.

In 2012, customs officials seized $1.26 billion worth of counterfeit goods, including luxury purses, batteries and toothpaste, the Times said.