Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• A sample of the seized merchandise has been sent to a specialized laboratory to check whether the lenses could be harmful to the health of users.
• The alleged person responsible for the importation and distribution of the imitations has been arrested and four searches have been carried out in the Cobo Calleja industrial estate in Fuenlabrada.

 

October 26, 2016.- The Tax Agency and the National Police have seized 246,120 pairs of imitation glasses of a well-known brand, coming from Asia. In the operation, the alleged person responsible for the importation and distribution of the imitations, a Chinese citizen, has been arrested and four searches have been carried out in the Cobo Calleja industrial estate in Fuenlabrada (Madrid). A sample of the seized merchandise has been sent to a specialized laboratory to check whether the lenses could also be harmful to the health of users.

The operation, called 'Vision', began after receiving information from French customs about a seizure of counterfeits carried out in that country, possibly destined for marketing in Spain. Specifically, the French authorities seized 75,000 pairs of glasses at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport destined for a company based in Fuenlabrada, Madrid. The company that was the victim of counterfeiting had also reported the presence on the market of these products, which used distinctive signs that could be confused with those of its brand.

With this data, investigations began and companies receiving the merchandise were filtered. The glasses were transferred to a warehouse not open to the public, from where they were distributed with imitation brands, using very similar logos, confusing with those of the complainant brand. The absence of coincidences in the ownership of the warehouse and the recipients, in addition to the changes in location within the Cobo Calleja industrial estate, made it difficult to locate the seized goods.

Despite the difficulties, it was finally possible to confirm the presence of the imitation material, proceeding to carry out four searches, all in the aforementioned Cobo Calleja industrial estate, in Fuenlabrada. In the operation, the person responsible for the importation and distribution of the counterfeits was arrested and 246,120 pairs of glasses and 220 pairs of sideburns that imitated the brand were seized. This merchandise has been sent to a specialized laboratory to check its protection levels and whether it may be harmful to users.

The genre was imported from Asia and introduced through different European customs. Once within community territory it was sent to Spain, thus trying to avoid customs controls in our country. The glasses have been removed, intervened and brought to justice.

The Regional Customs Surveillance Area of the Tax Agency in Madrid, the Central Specialized and Violent Crime Unit of the National Police and the Local Brigade of the Judicial Police of Fuenlabrada have participated in the operation.

 

Photographic annex is attached in the Press Release.