Fake Audemars Piguet watches were intercepted worth $43 million
On July 31, 2026 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Louisville, Kentucky intercepted yet another shipment containing counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price was over $43 million.
The shipment from Hong Kong was headed for a residence in Houston when officers pulled the parcel for inspection. The examination revealed 300 Audemars Piguet watches. The items were deemed to be inauthentic by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and were seized for bearing counterfeit version of registered and recorded trademarks.
During June and July, CBP officers in Louisville have now seized three shipments concealing a total of 875 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches. All the shipments were arriving from Hong Kong and in addition to Texas were destined for locations such as Illinois and New York. Had all of these watches been real, the MSRP would have been over $1.25 billion.
CBP has the authority to detain, seize, forfeit, and ultimately destroy imported merchandise if it bears an infringing trademark or copyright that has been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office and has subsequently been recorded with CBP through the e-Recordation program
Other violations can include misclassification of merchandise, false country of origin markings, health and safety issues, and valuation issues.
Trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens America’s innovation economy and the competitiveness of the businesses in the USA.
