A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• The action is the result of the controls carried out in port areas when disembarking ships that make regular journeys between islands.
• The carrier lacked a delivery note or invoice to cover the bulky load, which aroused the suspicion of the agents from the first moment.

May 23, 2023.- The Tax Agency and the Civil Guard of Gran Canaria investigated two people on February 11 as alleged perpetrators of a crime against industrial property by being caught in a control transporting counterfeit products from Fuerteventura to Gran Canaria worth 1,905,919.38 euros, according to an expert report.

On February 11, the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and the Fiscal Section of the Port of La Luz of the Civil Guard carried out a joint service during the disembarkation of one of the ships that makes regular journeys for people and vehicles between Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria.

One of the vehicles was selected for verification of its cargo, resulting in it transporting a significant amount of products, including, among others, watches, caps, belts and different types of clothing.

During the course of the proceedings, it was found that the two passengers of the vehicle were unable to provide an invoice or delivery note at any time to support the lawful origin of the cargo. Therefore, researchers began to suspect that these products could actually be counterfeits, a suspicion that was confirmed when they observed that most of the products corresponded to internationally famous brands, usually victims of crimes against industrial property.

For all this and in order to know the origin of the cargo, it was intervened 'in situ' and transferred to police stations at the disposal of the judicial and customs authorities pending the expert report issued by an anti-piracy expert on its value. and authenticity.

In addition, the researchers carried out a detailed count of the packages containing different fashion items and accessories, bringing the total number to 3,681 items. On the other hand, once a detailed list was made by type of product, brand and model, the merchandise was analyzed by an expert expert assigned to the Anti-Piracy Commission of the Ministry of Culture, who certified that they were counterfeit garments and quantified the total value. of the merchandise at 1,905,919.38 euros.

For all these reasons, two people were arrested as alleged perpetrators of a crime against industrial property, leaving the effects seized and the proceedings brought to the attention of the Court of Guard of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.