$6.6 Million Worth Of Fake Designer Watches Seized At Hotspot Illinois Airport

Watches are having a comeback.

Maybe it's the influencers or maybe people just miss reading a clock, but analog watches are coming back into style.

But as NBC Chicago reports, trying to capitalize on that trend didn't end well for one group going through Customs.

On Sunday, federal agents seized over $6.6 million worth of fake designer watches from a package that arrived from China. The officials at the cargo examination station found 243 watches. If they were real, the watches would be worth $6.64 million, Customs officials said.

Brands ripped off include Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Breitling, Bulgari, Cartier, Omega, Panerai, Richard Mille, Tag Heuer, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

This Is The 2nd Time In As Many Weeks

If you can believe it, this isn't the first time lately O'Hare Customs has had to contend with this specific issue. Last week, federal agents at O'Hare received a shipment from Hong Kong and China that contained over 500 fake watches (worth over $9 million) and counterfeit driver's licenses.

LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director of Field Operations at the Customs and Border Protection agency’s Chicago’s field office, said:

The distribution of counterfeit goods defrauds U.S. consumers and has a significant adverse impact on businesses by robbing our country of jobs and tax revenues. CBP is the first line of defense, and our officers intercepted this threat before these fake items were introduced into the commerce and reached consumers, which provides economic security for our nation.

Hopefully this doesn't make Customs any more difficult for everyone wearing a watch this summer.