Federal and state authorities seized several shipments of designer knock-off sunglasses bound for the U.S. with a retail value of nearly $12 million, it was announced Tuesday.
A total of 78,600 pairs of sunglasses that were being imported from China were seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and local authorities. The counterfeit glasses included knock-offs of famous brands like Coach, Gucci, and Emporio Armani.
"This is an excellent example of our continuing trade enforcement efforts at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport. Stopping the importation of counterfeit and confusingly similar merchandise continues to be a top priority for CBP," Acting Director of field operations in Los Angeles, Carlos Martel, said in a statement.
Authorities caution consumers that the knock-offs are often not manufactured with the same quality standards as their originals. They may not be impact resistant, may cause injury by shattering and may fail to provide UV protection.
