Operation Pirates 1 nets €33m in fake goods

In another crackdown by EU authorities on the trade in counterfeit goods, customs officers have seized €33m in clothes, shoes, bags, wallets, belts, sunglasses and other accessories infringing more than 60 trademarks, as well as perfumes, electric bicycles and watches.

Operation Pirates 1 is described by Europol as a global operation to thwart criminals attempting to smuggle counterfeit goods into the EU through its land and sea borders.

The joint operation took place between May 9 and 19 and involved law enforcement from Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Serbia

A total of 810,995 counterfeit fashion items and 61,246 counterfeit electronic devices were seized, along with large quantities of cigarettes, e-cigarette liquids, undeclared gold and silver jewellery, pharmaceutical products, over 250 kg of marijuana and 59 firearms.