U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Italian Customs Joint Operation Nets 115,000 Counterfeit Luxury Items

On December 5, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that, in partnership with Agenzia Delle Dogane E Dei Monopoli (Italian Customs), they had recently completed Operation Dolce Vita, a bilateral Intellectual Property Rights ("IPR") enforcement operation that targeted high value luxury items from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The operation included an information exchange and targeting of suspect cargo at all ports of entry in both the U.S. and Italy.

Operation Dolce Vita conducted April 27 through May 10, 2014, resulted in 470 seizures of nearly 115,000 counterfeit items. This number includes a transshipment of 63,000 bottles of perfume seized by Italian Customs. The luxury goods seized were watches and jewelry at 38 percent (19,661 units) followed by footwear at 35 percent (18,062 pair), handbags and wallets at 12 percent and eyewear at 7 percent. Italy’s seizure of 63,000 bottles of perfume exceeds the 19,661 units of watches and jewelry, and would make perfume the greatest number of goods seized.