Many celebrities adorned themselves with their handbags. Some of their specimens were also seen in the series “Sex And The City”. Now designer Nancy Gonzalez has been arrested in her native Colombia for allegedly smuggling crocodile handbags.
Colombian designer Nancy Gonzalez is known for her luxurious handbags and accessories made from exotic skins. Apparently that was her downfall. Because now she was arrested in her hometown of Cali (Colombia).
As reported by the Associated Press news agency, among others, she must expect to be extradited to the United States because she is accused of smuggling crocodile handbags. According to the finding, Gonzales, whose handbags were also often carried by characters in the series “Sex And The City,” is facing charges in the South County of Florida, which can carry a sentence of up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Nancy Gonzalez is said to have smuggled hundreds of handbags
While some crocodile skins are legal for sale, they require a certificate, which can be expensive and difficult to obtain.
Investigators in the United States and Colombia allege Gonzalez smuggled hundreds of handbags by paying passengers to carry them in their personal baggage on flights bound for the United States. If they had any questions, they were then supposed to tell the customs officials that the bags were gifts for their relatives.
In 2019, two investigators working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Associated Press, that up to 12 people, each carrying four handbags, boarded a single flight bound for the United States. Round-trip tickets were paid for by Gonzalez.
According to a report by Nation World News, the products’ ultimate destinations were luxury stores and recognized trade shows such as New York Fashion Week. The handbags can be sold for up to $10,000 in designer stores in the US and Europe.
In addition to Gonzales, two men are said to have been arrested.
Gonzalez started out making belts and switched to handbags after a trip to New York in the late 1990s. Her work was also featured in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2008. Her meticulously crafted handbags have reportedly been bought by Salma Hayek, Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham.
Quellen: Associated Press, “Nation World News”
