Counterfeit Goods

Top 10 Seized Counterfeit Goods

WATCH LIVE

Top 10 Items Seized at US Ports

Counterfeit goods generate hundreds of billions of dollars in sales each year, making up about 7 percent of all global trade.At US ports alone, counterfeit products seized in 2009 had an estimated street value of more than $260 million. Authorities are unsure just how many counterfeit goods enter the United States each year, but one thing is certain: Counterfeiting saps economies, puts lives in jeopardy and funds organized crime around the globe.So which counterfeit goods are seized most often?
JOERG KOCH | AFP | Getty Images

Counterfeit goods generate hundreds of billions of dollars in sales each year, making up about 7 percent of all global trade.

At US ports alone, counterfeit products seized in 2009 had an estimated street value of more than $260 million. Authorities are unsure just how many counterfeit goods enter the United States each year, but one thing is certain: Counterfeiting saps economies, puts lives in jeopardy and funds organized crime around the globe.

So which counterfeit goods are seized most often? Click ahead to see the top 10 most seized items at US ports in 2009.

Crime Inc.: Counterfeit Goods Premieres Wednesday, June 15 at 9p | 10p | 12a | 1a ET

By Lauren McCurdy
Posted July 9, 2010

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

10. Pharmaceuticals

2009 Domestic Seizure Value: $11.06 millionPercent of Total Seizures: 4% Genuine and counterfeit Viagra displayed at The Counterfeit Museum in Paris, France.
Yves Forestier | Getty Images

2010 Domestic Seizure Value: $5.66 million
Percent of Total Seizures: 3%

Counterfeit pharmaceutical seizures at US ports were down 50 percent from 2009 when $11.06 million in seizure value was reported.

At left:
Genuine and counterfeit Viagra displayed at The Counterfeit Museum in Paris, France.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

9. Jewelry

2009 Domestic Seizure Value: $10.50 millionPercent of Total Seizures: 4%Counterfeit Dior jewelry displayed at the Counterfeit Museum in Paris, France.
Yves Forestier | Getty Images

2010 Domestic Seizure Value: $6.76 million
Percent of Total Seizures: 4%

Counterfeit jewelry seized in 2010 was down nearly 30 percent from 2009, which saw $10.5 million in total seizures.

At left:
Counterfeit Dior jewelry displayed at the Counterfeit Museum in Paris, France.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

8. Watches/Parts

2009 Domestic Seizure Value: $15.53 millionPercent of Total Seizures: 6% A customs officers displays counterfeit watches that were seized over the past months in Hamburg, Germany.
Getty Images

2010 Domestic Seizure Value: $7.85 million
Percent of Total Seizures: 4%

Seizures of counterfeit watches and parts fell dramatically in 2010, dropping nearly 50 percent from 2009's $15.53 million in seizure value.

At left:
A customs officer displays counterfeit watches that were seized over the past months in Hamburg, Germany.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection

7. Cigarettes

2010 Domestic Seizure Value: $8.85 millionPercent of Total Seizures: 5%Seizures of counterfeit cigarettes were not among 2009's top 10 most seized counterfeit goods at US ports. in Paris.
Photo: Getty Images

2010 Domestic Seizure Value: $8.85 million
Percent of Total Seizures: 5%

Counterfeit cigarettes were not among the top 10 most seized counterfeit goods at US ports in 2009, so numbers were not broken out by the US Customs office.

At left:
Counterfeit cigarettes seized by French Customs are displayed outside Ministere des Finances

in Paris.

Source: US Customs and Border Protection