Customs agents at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport complex seized more than 1,500 counterfeit Hermes leather handbags in two shipments from China that had a combined "estimated domestic value" of $18,412, officials said today.
If the items had been genuine, they would have been valued around $14.1 million, Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.
"The $18,414 combined estimated domestic value of the shipments is an indicator of potentially high profit margins in the illegal trade of this type of counterfeit luxury product," Ruiz said in a statement.
Find out what's happening in Belmont Shore-Naplesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The merchandise was seized on Feb. 12 and 26, Ruiz said.
Nationwide, handbags and wallets make up the greatest number of counterfeit items seized by Customs and Border Protection agents last year.