Border Patrol seizes nearly 5,000 counterfeit earrings

Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Border patrol officers in Louisville, Ky., seized almost 5,000 earrings that were determined to be fake, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday.

The earrings, which were engraved with the logo of fashion giant Chanel, were made in China and seized on their way to Maryland on Jan. 2, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said, adding that the agency's Centers of Excellence and Expertise analyzed the find and determined the jewelry was fake.

Officials said the earrings would be worth an estimated $1.37 million if they were sold as genuine.

"This just goes to show you how criminals are using express consignment facilities to ship their items to unsuspecting consumers, damaging our economy," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, the Director of Field Operations at the CPB's Chicago Field Office.

The CPB has established an initiative to educate the public about the prevalence of counterfeit goods.