Fake Christian Louboutin shoes stopped in tracks
Pete Galles, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, with a box containing some of the more than 20,000 pairs of counterfeit luxury shoes seized in Long Beach, Calif., from a shipment from China. (Aug. 14, 2012) Credit: AP
Federal customs officials have stopped more than 20,000 pairs of counterfeit luxury shoes from tiptoeing into the United States from China.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Spokesman Jaime Ruiz says four shipments of fake Christian Louboutin shoes were seized Tuesday, and another shipment was seized July 27.
Ruiz says the shoes could have sold for a total of $18 million in the U.S.
The vaunted French designer's shoes come in an array of colors and styles, often commanding thousands of dollars per pair from well-heeled customers.
Celebrities and royalty have been known to wear Louboutins, which have red soles.
The knockoff shoes were likely destined for swap meets or sale through websites.
Ruiz says the shoes were very good counterfeits and will likely be destroyed.
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