Dubai nabs fake shipment of Unilever's Vaseline

Customs in Dubai have intercepted a shipment of 17,280 counterfeit packs of Unilever's big-selling petroleum jelly product Vaseline, with an estimated Dh 400,000 ($109,000).

The seizure was made with the assistance of Dubai Customs' IPR department, which said to be the first department of its kind in the Middle East. Its director – Yousef Ozair Mubarak – said: "We received information about a shipment of counterfeit petroleum jelly 'Vaseline' coming from an Asian country, and with the help and coordination with the Intelligence Department, we set a plan to seize it."

"We cooperate with the Brand Owners' Protection Group to fight these counterfeit goods and protect the rights of trademarks, and engage trademark owners in workshops to educate our inspectors with the latest methods of detecting and distinguishing fake products," he added.