By John Smith • Published: 17 Dec 2016 • 9:59
Inside the clandestine factory
A MASSIVE operation which produced high quality fake goods mainly sold in the Costa del Sol has been broken up by the National Police who have arrested 55 people.
The items were so well made and so difficult to distinguish from the originals that these goods sold at prices from €100 to €400 and the whole network was first reported when an international handbag manufacturer appointed a private detective to try to identify the source of the faked items which were flooding the Costa del Sol.
Once he had compiled his report, information was passed to the National Police and they identified the fact that the goods were being made in a workshop in Ubrique in Cadiz province and were being shipped to a Marbella warehouse where they were then sold in shops and markets in Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola.
The majority of people involved in the production and wholesale distribution of these high quality counterfeit goods were of Maghreb origin and they in turn supplied the goods to countrymen in the Costa del Sol.
A number of properties and market stalls were raided and a secondary warehouse was discovered in Torremolinos and apart from the 55 people arrested, officers seized 4,865 leather products, 9,800 garments, 544 watches and 138 belts as well as false dies to allow for the leather goods in particular to be branded as if real.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
If the shops did not charge so much for their bags and watches etc,perhaps there would be no market for the counterfeit goods that are being sold throughout Spain etc etc, the mark up the REAL manufacturers have on their goods is disgraceful !!
It’s theft. If you buy genuine goods made in Italy you’re paying for research and design, massive marketing costs and the wages to allow people to live a decent living. Furthermore the taxes they pay ( included aforementioned workers) helps make society tick. The the retailer also pays rates and has overheads which contribute to our way of life in the West. If you buy fake crap you are not just buying junk you are supporting third world exploitation and child abuse.
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