Merchandise seized for a value of over €1,200,000

 

• The organization could have manufactured a million bottles of fake shampoo, which they packaged, labeled and distributed after sending the raw material from the United Arab Emirates to Holland, and from there to Spain.
• The operation, called 'Testa', concludes with the arrest of the two people responsible for the plot, of German and Kazakh nationality.
• The scheme had companies in the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, as well as in Spain, where it falsified its activity declarations to conceal imports of packaging material and raw materials from China.

 

February 18, 2015.- The Tax Agency has seized 29,000 counterfeit shampoo bottles of a well-known brand in two warehouses located in Malaga and Chiclana de la Frontera (Cadiz), as well as another 200,000 empty ones and products for their preparation valued at more than 1,200,000 euros. The operation, completed at the beginning of February, searched two industrial warehouses and two homes, and led to the arrest of the two persons responsible for the plot, a German citizen and a citizen of Kazakhstan.

The operation was initiated following a request for assistance and intervention from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), in connection with an investigation coordinated with several Member States, into the existence of a large-scale fraud involving imports of counterfeit shampoo from a well-known brand. The information received indicated the belief that the product was fake and came from the United Arab Emirates, via Holland and destined for an industrial warehouse in Malaga.

 

One million boats manufactured in two years

Once investigations began, officials from the Customs Surveillance Unit of the Tax Agency in Malaga were able to verify that it was a genuine industry, with an appearance of legality, with the capacity to manufacture and distribute counterfeit products.

Finally, after locating a warehouse in the Villa Rosa Industrial Estate in Málaga, officials from the Tax Agency seized some 28,000 bottles full of shampoo. In this warehouse, the cans were labelled with the logo of a well-known brand, packed and distributed.

Following the investigations, a second warehouse where the boats were refilled was finally located in Chiclana de la Frontera. At these facilities, 1,000 more full and empty shampoo bottles were seized, as well as the raw materials for manufacturing the product in different fragrances. The analyses carried out confirmed that these were counterfeit products.

During the course of the operations, two containers were seized in Algeciras (Cádiz) that were awaiting delivery and contained some 200,000 empty bottles and caps, proof of the large "commercial" movement that the organization maintained. It is estimated that in the last two years, the ring may have produced one million bottles of fake shampoo.

 

Hiding real activity

To give legal appearance to its activity, the network had established a company in Spain in 2012 and several abroad (United Arab Emirates and Cyprus). In this way, it dispersed its activities in order to go unnoticed as an organization.

In turn, the declared activity of the Spanish company was that of wholesaler of clothing accessories. However, what the company really imported were bottles, caps, labels and raw materials from China.

The detainees, who have already been placed at the disposal of the Málaga Court of Instruction on duty, have been charged with various crimes against industrial property, falsification of public and commercial documents, against Public Health as these are products subject to strict hygiene and health regulations, and against the Public Treasury.

These actions are part of the plan to combat counterfeiting established by the Tax Agency to secure the international logistics chain for the distribution of goods.