Alex Trelinski
A two-year operation to bring down a counterfeit luxury-branded handbag manufacturer has produced three arrests in the Andalucia region.
The Policia Nacional visited seven addresses and removed 63 fake bags from a clandestine factory in Ubrique, Cadiz Province.
Their probe began in December 2019 after reports of high-quality branded fakes being distributed in Madrid.
Officers discovered that the Madrid distributor received at least 35 packages over several months from Ubrique containing between five and ten bogus bags.
The knock-offs retailed between €300 and €400 each, which appeared to be a big bargain as the average prices for the genuine product would be up to €3,000 per bag.
The police switched their attention to Ubrique where they identified a factory as well as outlets that sent on the counterfeit items.
The factory raid uncovered bags ready for distribution as well as logos and other branding symbols to authenticate the fakes.
Experts described the final products as being of excellent quality and therefore desirable within the ‘black market’.
The value of the seized bags and all of the materials to make new items could have netted the gang over €1 million.
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