FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized counterfeit luxury fragrances that would have been valued at over $1 million had they been real.

Officers found them in a shipping container that arrived in Port Everglades from Singapore.

“It was actually a full container of perfume and it was mixed in with legitimate products,” Assistant Port Director Bonney Vitta said.

Local 10 was given access inside a warehouse in Broward County where the haul is being stored. The boxes and bottles of colognes looked like well-known brands such as Gucci, Armani, Burberry and Lancome.

Vitta said CBP works diligently to identify dupes and fakes. Officers also collaborate with import specialists, sometimes sending photos for image comparisons.

“They are looking for discrepancies. They’re looking at the product itself, the packaging,” Vitta said. “Where things come from is also a red flag.”

According to CBP, Singapore is a top exporter of counterfeit goods. China is still the steady number one.

“Number one is China; we get more than 80% of our counterfeit merchandise from China,” Vitta said.

In collaboration with CBP Headquarters Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch, CBP officers determined, on April 2, that the goods were counterfeit.

“Counterfeit goods not only undermine legitimate businesses and the U.S. economy but can also pose potentially serious health and safety risks to consumers,” Acting Port Director John Rico wrote in a statement.

According to CBP, the Miami/Tampa region is one of the busiest in the country for counterfeit goods seizures; $1.7 billion dollars worth of it last fiscal year.

The CBP has a website called Fake Goods Real Dangers highlighting what it says is “the truth behind counterfeits.”

The investigation continues into who is responsible for the fake fragrances, Vitta said.

Copyright 2026 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.