MIAMI – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about 1,200 counterfeit Tiffany & Co. bracelets at Miami International Airport this week, authorities announced Wednesday.
The bracelets, if genuine, would be worth about $2.85 million.
Authorities said CBP officers suspected that the jewelry, which had been shipped from China, was not authentic because the bracelets did not appear to be of the quality consistent with the jewelry normally manufactured by the company.
Import specialists examined the items and confirmed that the bracelets were counterfeit.
"CBP has an exceptional team of officers and import specialists that are experts in identifying counterfeit goods," said Miami International Airport port director Christopher Maston. "They work closely with the private industry to identify intellectual property infringement."
CBP officers made more than 23,000 seizures of counterfeit goods last fiscal year, which, if genuine, would have an estimated retail value of $1.2 billion.
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