Customs seizes branded glasses disguised as plastic: court fines sender from China

An attempt to disguise expensive branded accessories as cheap plastic items ended in a court hearing. The sender of an international parcel from China was found guilty of violating customs rules, as they provided false information about the contents of the shipment in the declaration.

What inspectors found at the customs post

The incident occurred in June 2026 at the "Ukrposhta" customs post in Kyiv. While inspecting an international shipment arriving from China, customs officers examined the CN 22 declaration. The documentation indicated that the sender was mailing four plastic boxes with a total value of 20 US dollars.

However, the actual contents of the parcel differed significantly from what was declared. Inside, new sunglasses packaged in branded cases and boxes were found. Among the seized items were:

• one pair of GUCCI glasses;
• one pair of rimless Cartier glasses;
• two pairs of PORSCHE DESIGN EYEWEAR glasses.

Experts from the Specialized Laboratory for Expertise and Research of the State Customs Service determined that the total value of these goods was 38,679.84 hryvnias. Due to the submission of inaccurate information about the parcel's contents, customs drew up a protocol for a customs rule violation.

Court decision and penalty size

The Solomianskyi District Court of Kyiv reviewed case No. 760/28316/26. The judge found the sender guilty of the violation stipulated in Part 1 of Article 473 of the Customs Code of Ukraine.

According to the verdict, the offender was fined 30% of the assessed value of the goods, amounting to 11,603.95 hryvnias. In addition, the court ordered the confiscation of all four pairs of branded glasses for the benefit of the state. Furthermore, 665.60 hryvnias in court fees were recovered from the defendant.