Officials in Bavaria seize hundreds of fake Airpods
In mid-May, border police confiscated around 200 counterfeit Bluetooth headphones carrying the Apple brand on the A9 autobahn near Münchberg. The fake electronics were discovered during an inspection of a travel bus in the luggage of a 29-year-old man from Berlin. The officers also found synthetic drugs, reports the police. Further investigations are ongoing.
Pensioner makes tens of thousands of euros with fake cosmetics
A British court sentenced a 73-year-old pensioner for importing and trading in counterfeit face creams. The accused had imported ineffective counterfeit products from China and sold them on the online marketplace eBay at prices well below those of the original. Apparently, he made around 50,000 pounds (approx. 42,500 euros) in this way. The original manufacturer of the Bio-Oil creams, Geneva Laboratories, had become aware of the illegal activity in 2017; despite a cease-and-desist letter, the now convicted man continued to sell counterfeits and also involved an acquaintance to sell the products under the acquaintance’s name. “[He] wanted to make large financial gain for himself by selling fake products to people online and repeatedly tried to change his online store name to avoid being caught and banned from selling”, says Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt from police intellectual property crime unit, City of London Police.
Counterfeiting ring for fake sports goods and clothing busted
In an operation against a counterfeiting network, Spain’s Policía Nacional has arrested five suspects and seized some 30,000 alleged counterfeit goods, including fake sportswear, bags, and perfumes, as well as machinery and materials to produce further goods. The gang allegedly sold the counterfeits via social media across Spain. An affected brand owner had alerted officials to the illegal dealings and reported a social media profile with around 200,000 followers presumably used for selling counterfeit sportswear. Investigations identified the gang’s business premises, which were also used to process orders from suppliers in Barcelona and Murcia. The counterfeits are said to have been sent to buyers via parcel carriers.
Brisk activity blows the cover of counterfeiting store
In the western French city of La Rochelle, local police officers discovered an illegal shop for counterfeit goods, arresting several suspects and seizing around 2,000 fake products, such as perfumes, bags, shoes, polo shirts, and electronics. The police also confiscated narcotics. A busy scene around a cemetery had alerted the officers to the nearby illegal business. Subsequent checks by the police eventually revealed the trade in counterfeit goods. The investigations are ongoing.
Tens of tons of counterfeit cigarettes confiscated
Supported by Europol, French customs seized around 40 tons of counterfeit cigarettes in the Marseilles and Paris areas in March and arrested two suspects alleged to be part of an international criminal group. The criminal group apparently operated out of Asia and transported counterfeit cigarettes to Europe via sea cargo shipments from the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa, as Europol says. Investigations with the help of several customs agencies and the network of French customs attachés, particularly in Dubai, eventually led to the seizure of the counterfeits. The potential damage of the confiscated fakes in terms of lost tax revenue is estimated at around 15 million euros.
