Joint operation by the Tax Agency and the National Police

• Agents have arrested 16 people and inspected 19 establishments where they have found numerous articles from well-known brands whose market value exceeds half a million euros.

• In a parallel investigation, a wholesale distribution network of counterfeit textile articles that were sold in street markets in the province of Alicante has also been dismantled.

• Both actions are part of an operational action led by Spain through the National Police related to the fight against the counterfeiting of brands and framed within the European initiative EMPACT, to combat the marketing of counterfeit products.

June 3, 2022.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with Agents of the National Police, has seized more than 18,000 counterfeit items in commercial establishments in Lloret de Mar (Girona). Agents have arrested 16 people and inspected 19 establishments where they have found numerous articles of well-known brands - textiles and leather goods, displayed or stored and ready for sale - whose market value exceeds half a million euros. In a parallel investigation, a wholesale distribution network of counterfeit textile articles sold in street markets in the province of Alicante has also been dismantled. Both actions are part of the European initiative EMPACT, which includes several operational actions on trademark counterfeiting, and of which the one giving rise to these operations is led by Spain through the National Police.

The investigation began last March, when the agents received several complaints from the legal representatives of various prestigious brands. The complaints were directed against establishments open to the public in Lloret de Mar (Girona), where numerous counterfeit items were allegedly being stored, offered and sold.

18,322 items seized valued at more than 549,660 euros

Following several police actions, the officers carried out a police operation that ended with the arrest of 16 people and the inspection of 19 commercial establishments. There they found numerous counterfeit products from well-known brands that were displayed or stored and perfectly prepared for their illegal distribution and marketing. The seized items are mainly textile articles and accessories such as T-shirts, trousers, sweatshirts, fittings, bags and leather goods that infringe the industrial property rights of various well-known brands, and whose market value reaches 549,660 euros.

In addition, during the course of the investigation they also located various plates for the materialization "in situ" of the counterfeits, in such a way that, by means of stamping, die-cutting or gluing, they adhered the brand logo to the leather or textile product.

Parallel operation with distribution in markets in the province of Alicante

In a parallel investigation, three people have been arrested and a total of 17,667 counterfeit textile items from well-known brands have been seized. The investigation began after counterfeit clothing items - polo shirts, t-shirts and trousers - were seized, which were being sold in street markets in the province of Alicante. Following various investigations, the agents located two industrial warehouses where textile products were printed and sold wholesale.

Framed within the European campaign EMPACT OA 3.4 FAKESTAR led by Spain through the National Police

The two actions are part of Operational Action 3.4 FAKESTAR, which fights against the marketing of counterfeit products of recognized brands - specifically offline textiles - led by Spain through the National Police. The FAKESTAR action is part of a broad group of European actions to combat the violation of intellectual and industrial property rights and product counterfeiting, all within the framework of the multidisciplinary European initiative EMPACT to combat organised crime in various areas.

The Customs Surveillance operational units of the Tax Agency and the National Police of Madrid and Catalonia participated in the operation.