Six arrested for the sale of fake clothes valued at about 100,000 euros

The Guardia Civil have arrested six people and seized 500 counterfeit items of sportswear, football kits, footwear and fashion accessories, after inspecting several shops in Gran Canaria, after complaints were filed by the brands themselves denouncing the fake items.

According to the Ministry del Interior in an official press release, the merchandise has an estimated value of 100,000 euros, and representatives of the brands based on the island, reported the sales outlets to the Guardia Civil claiming they were in breach of copyright and selling the items fraudulently.

As a result, the General Directorate and the Fiscal Patrols of the Guardia Civil in Gran Canaria, proceeded to inspect these shops, finding numerous counterfeit items of clothing, footwear, and accessories on sale.

The brands say that these imitations are not only caused serious economic damage to their companies, but also pose a possible health risk to the buyers because these articles have not passed any type of quality control, are of very poor quality, and lack real labelling.

For all these reasons, the Guardia Civil, together with an expert in intellectual copyright, carried out several inspections in different businesses, confiscating nearly 500 items and arresting six people for a crime related to the infringement of industrial property rights.

The Guardia Civil warns that ongoing inspections and checks will be carried out in all of the Canary Islands to prevent the manufacture and sale of these items which carries a big fine and possible imprisonment.