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Public Policy And Issues
$2M in counterfeit jewelry seized in Tucson
Tucson--Federal authorities confiscated more than $2 million in fake luxury brand jewelry and arrested two exhibitors at the recent jewelry shows here, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced.
According to ICE, special agents from its Homeland Security Investigations unit in Tucson arrested a pair of vendors on Feb. 8 at the Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers (GLW) show, seizing the jewelry and $35,000 in cash from their booths in the Gem Mall pavilions on Country Club Road and in the Holidome on Palo Verde Road.
The undercover agents were acting on a tip and, when they approached a booth, the vendors told them the jewelry was fake and then sold it to them.
Amber Cargile, a spokeswoman for ICE based in Phoenix, told National Jeweler on Tuesday that though the original ICE news release estimated the value of the 2,500 pieces of jewelry at $1 million, the final count tallied 3,500 pieces with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $2.1 million, in addition to the $35,000 in cash.
The seized items had fraudulent Tiffany & Co. and Chanel trademarks, as well as fraudulent marks from Hermes, Gucci, Coach and more. Cargile said they also seized a number of scarves that falsely were labeled as “cashmere” and “Made in Scotland.”
According to ICE, the two suspects, whose names were not released, were arrested and released on their own recognizance pending indictment in Arizona state court. Both face potential state charges of fraud, counterfeiting, money laundering and illegal enterprise.
The counterfeits seizure is the second law enforcement headline to emerge from desert following the Tucson gem shows. Last week, news surfaced that a reported $800,000 to $900,000 in Oregon sunstone had been stolen from a locked trailer parked at a Motel 6.
There was no update on the case as of Tuesday, Tucson police said.









