Hong Kong makes biggest counterfeits bust in a decade

[ButIFeelGood]

Hong Kong makes biggest counterfeits bust in a decade

AFP
August 7, 2015, 12:21 am

Hong Kong (AFP) - Hong Kong authorities said Thursday they had made the biggest suspected counterfeit goods seizure in ten years, of over 30,000 items including sneakers, handbags and perfumes.

Customs officials said the seizure was the largest in a decade in terms of quantity and worth around HK$3 million ($387,051).

Hong Kong is a popular destination for counterfeit goods with locals and tourists buying fake items ranging from headphones to luxury brand watches.

Some of the items were obviously counterfeit goods, with handbags which had the Chanel logo misspelled "Cnanel", along with copies of Converse sneakers, luxury branded perfumes, sunglasses, and digital watches.

"The operation made a record seizure in terms of quantity among similar cases in a decade," a government statement said Thursday, adding that customs and police "successfully smashed" the syndicate suspected of selling the goods and arrested three people.

The operation was carried out last month at two locations where goods were being sold in the southern Chinese city at 10 percent of the cost of the genuine item, Cable Television News reported.

Authorities in the city often carry out operations against the sale of counterfeit goods, with a similar operation in January netting 3,900 pieces of suspected counterfeit items with a total value of HK$3.37 million.