Fake designer luxury brands worth at least €200,000 were seized by Guardia Civil raids in a group of Benidorm shops
Four store owners in Benidorm have been detained for selling counterfeit goods like clothing and accessories to the public.
In parallel raids on locations they believed were breaching the law, the Guardia Civil removed 1,913 products with an estimated retail value of €200,000.
Despite having designer labels from a range of well-known sports and luxury goods companies, experts confirmed the items as being fake.
The materials used in the manufacture and design of the counterfeit goods were of low grade. Officers discovered that one of the stores in the raid even had a double bottom draw where the fake goods were kept beneath the counter and out of sight of the authorities.
When questioned as to the origin of the fakes none of the sellers could show or prove where they obtained the merchandise. They all lacked permission to sell the counterfeit trademark labels.
Charges for violating copyright laws have been brought against three men and a woman. According to the Guardia Civil, their activities had an impact on both legal firms and consumers who purchased the subpar items in terms of health and safety.
As reported by Alicante police, the Fiscal and Border Patrol of the Guardia Civil of Calp began an operation last September to detect businesses specifically dedicated to the sale of counterfeit products.
The four investigated are three men of Indian nationality and a woman of Chinese nationality, between 46 and 55 years of age. The investigations conducted and the items seized were made available to the Investigating Court number 2 of Benidorm.
Read more: Police arrest 11 at Benidorm street market selling fake luxury watches
