Border patrol officers in Savannah seized 198 fake Hermès Birkin handbags that were destined for Atlanta, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week.
Had the bags seized Oct. 6 been genuine, the value would have been $1.8 million, the agency said. Instead, the bags will be destroyed.
It was the Port of Savannah’s third multi-million dollar seizure of counterfeit goods this year.
The shipment, manifested as polyurethane handbags, arrived to the Port of Savannah from China on Sept. 4. The bags were destined to an address in Atlanta, the agency said.
“Counterfeit goods pose a potentially serious safety threat to consumers and economic loss to U.S. businesses,” said Lisa Beth Brown, area port director in Savannah.
In July, port officers in Savannah seized 377 cartons of counterfeit sunglasses with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,619,550. In April, officers seized more than $1 million in counterfeit soccer apparel at the port.
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