dodgy gifts Gardai seize €200k worth of Christmas counterfeit goods

This is the haul of counterfeit goods worth €200,000 found seized from a lorry in Dublin by Gardaí as the Christmas season approaches.

Yesterday at 11am, the Intellectual Property Crime Unity within the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) conducted an intelligence led operation in South Dublin and found an articulated lorry with suspected counterfeit goods valued at approximately €200,000.

The items seized, included clothing, sportswear, perfume and candles.

Enquiries remain ongoing as to the origin of these goods and who’s involved in distributing them. As of now, no arrests have been made yet.

Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll spoke today about how customers should ensure that the presents they buy this Christmas are authentic and not fakes.

“As we approach Christmas people should ensure they purchase gifts from reliable and legitimate sources,” he said. “This seizure is significant as it prevents a consignment of counterfeit and substandard products entering the market and being purchased by unsuspecting persons.”

“The counterfeit candles and perfumes, in particular, give rise to potential safety risks for purchasers, who will be unaware of the true nature of these products.”

Recently, the GNBCI seized 15,000 counterfeit items as part of Operation Bannister, including the largest quantity of fake property pretending to be a particular brand seized worldwide this year.

Due to the international nature of infringement of intellectual property, the Gardaí regularly collaborate with Europol on this issue. Operation Aphrodite was recently established by Europol to tackle this issue across the continent.

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Online Editors