Operation 'Cups'

• The action resulted in the arrest of 200,000 counterfeits worth 91.8 million euros and the indictment of three people 
• The counterfeit goods were hidden in a container in Algeciras and in an industrial warehouse in Seseña, Toledo.

June 5, 2013.- The Tax Agency, in collaboration with the Civil Guard, has dismantled an organization dedicated to the smuggling of counterfeit goods in Algeciras and the provinces of Málaga, Guadalajara and Toledo. During the course of the operation, named 'Tazas', 206,042 articles valued at €91,873,000 were seized and three people have so far been charged.

This is the largest operation against the smuggling of counterfeited products carried out under the direction of the Tax Agency since 2008. In terms of the value of the goods seized, this action represents only 30% of the false products confiscated by the Agency during last year.

The operation, presented this morning in a press conference by the administrator of the Customs Office at the port of Algeciras, Nuria Carracedo, and the Head of operations of the headquarters of the Civil Guard of Algeciras, Juan Carlos Lafuente, was undertaken by the Risk Analysis Unit (UAR) of the Customs Office of Algeciras, made up of Customs Surveillance officers of the Tax Agency and civil servants of the Civil Guard.

The investigations began on 14th May in Algeciras, during the usual custom checks of imported goods.  Stemming from the analysis of the information generated by the flow of goods and on the basis of the risk profiles defined by the Tax Agency, various suspicious containers originating from China with declared destinations in various African countries were earmarked for inspection.

Civil servants of the Customs Office of Algeciras opened the container and, inside, there was an initial screen of boxes containing the goods declared. However, hidden behind the cups other boxes were found containing more than 64,000 counterfeit products, including textiles, watches and cosmetics of known international brands. After the final count was made, the following products with an estimated value of almost €20,750,000 were apprehended: 

Type of product	Units
Cosmetics	33,940
Polo shirts	14,592
Underwear	10,848
Watches	3,900
Headphones	1,000
Total	64,280

 
The Seseña unit

After these first actions, a declaration was taken in Algeciras from a person related to the imports, who will be charged with alleged criminal offences against industrial property rights.

After subsequent analysis of the documentation obtained, and of the investigations carried out, links to the crime were made with two other companies participating in the operation and the clues led to an industrial warehouse in the town of Seseña (Toledo). More than 141,000 counterfeit goods with an estimated value of almost €71,124.000 were found in its register and apprehended. Specifically: 

Type of product	Units
Watches		95,400
Underwear		17,136
T-shirts		16,620
Tracksuits		5,392
Polo shirts		4,590
Kits		2,240
Jackets		384
Total		141,762

Another two people related to the participating companies were imputed by the alleged commission of criminal offences against industrial property rights.

The actions were reported to the Duty Court of Instruction Number 4 of Algeciras, under whose charge the goods seized were placed.

Fight against piracy

The fight against falsification and piracy is one of the Tax Agency’s main areas of investigation, the aim of which is to combat the risk to consumers of counterfeited items and the unfair competition they cause for the corporate sector.

In this area of action, last year the Tax Agency apprehended a total of 1,936,543 counterfeit products in 2,137 operations (withholdings) carried out by the Customs and Excise Department. If it had reached the market, this counterfeit merchandise could have reached a value of €339 million, more than twice as much as in 2011. In its fight against counterfeiting, the Tax Agency drew up a total of 171 alleged offences, 40% more than in 2011, and arrested 160 people.