Europe’s Largest Counterfeit Perfume Factory Dismantled

Over 1.2 million items confiscated

Authorities in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia disrupted what officials believe to be Europe’s largest counterfeit perfume factory to date, in late January and early February 2026. As part of a joint operation by the Spanish Tax Agency (Agència Tributària), the Catalan police force Mossos d’Esquadra, and French customs, a total of approximately 1,210,000 counterfeit perfumes and extensive manufacturing materials were seized in several raids. According to the authorities, the seized goods have an estimated market value of over 94 million euros.

According to the authorities, the counterfeiting ring had fake perfumes from more than 50 different luxury brands and models, as well as raw materials for the production of an additional 150,000 liters of various fragrances. Seven people were arrested, and eleven others are under investigation for belonging to a criminal organization, smuggling, and violations of intellectual property rights.

Finding at customs check decisive for investigations

According to Spanish authorities, the investigations that would ultimately lead to this spectacular success began in October 2025. In mid‑October, French customs officials seized approximately 2,600 fake perfume bottles of various brands, packed in boxes labeled ‘très fragile’ (very fragile). The counterfeits were believed to have been shipped from the Girona region in northern Spain.

There, officials eventually identified three warehouses in the La Selva area. In late January, three vans with Romanian license plates were stopped while en route to France. Another 6,955 bottles of counterfeit perfume were seized at that time.

Raids uncover industrial‑scale counterfeit production

On 28 January, the officials then conducted an inspection of two warehouses, expecting to find only storage facilities there. However, as the official report points out, they discovered a large clandestine factory for producing counterfeit perfume, prompting the officers to bring in reinforcements from Girona and Barcelona and continue the inspections the following day.

The production facility, located in two interconnected buildings, reportedly had seven production lines with an estimated potential capacity of more than four million bottles per year. Investigators discovered seven bottling machines, three plugging machines, a packaging area, and a printing area with printing plates and logos of various brands. In addition to 150,000 liters of materials for perfume production, the facility also held materials such as bottles, caps, sprayers, and boxes, as well as electronic alarm devices and price tags. A showroom at the site of the illegal factory held products from more than 50 different luxury brands and models.

Another building in the Girona area was used as an additional warehouse facility. There, authorities uncovered 119 1,000‑liter tanks of denatured alcohol, hundreds of other jugs and drums, as well as 872,850 bottles of perfume.

Further raid on logistics hub for counterfeits

Meanwhile, in early February, police officers from the Mossos d’Esquadra inspected three trucks, finding around 10,000 suspected counterfeit perfume bottles and inconsistent delivery documents. This resulted in a further inspection at a warehouse facility in Arbúcies, also in the Girona area, which served as the organization’s international storage hub. There, officers seized nearly 350,000 fake perfumes, logistics documents, and packaging and labeling materials.

The investigations are ongoing and further arrests cannot be ruled out, the authorities say in their statement from mid‑February.