U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over 200 counterfeit Lululemon everywhere belt bags in Delaware over the last few weeks.
Officials said the belt bags arrived in two separate shipments from China and were destined for the same address in Wilmington, Delaware.
Customs and Border Protection officers found 136 belt bags in the first shipment on Aug. 8 and then 141 belt bags on Aug. 16 in the second shipment, according to officials.
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Officers suspected the Lululemon branding was used without authorization and detained the shipments to verify trademark authenticity.
Officials said that Customs and Border Protection trade experts were then able to verify that the belt bags were counterfeit. Officers seized the first shipment on Aug. 26 and the second shipment on Sept. 6.
If the bags had been authentic, officials said they would have been worth about $13,000.
“Popular products, such as Lululemon belt bags, are prime targets for counterfeiters to manufacture, and are revenue generators for unscrupulous vendors who worship profits over consumer health and safety,” said Erik Kelling, CBP’s Port Director for the Port of Wilmington. “CBP urges consumers to protect themselves and their families by always buying authentic products from reputable vendors.”
"The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It steals revenues from trademark holders, steals tax revenues from the government, funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers," U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. "Counterfeiters manufacture consumer goods using substandard materials and parts that either break prematurely or that could hurt consumers. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor."
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