RCMP seize fake Prada, Coach good worth $1.5 million
Fake fashion store seized in Pitt Meadows.
PITT MEADOWS, B.C. – Psst. Want a Prada or Coach handbag for cheap?
RCMP say they have the goods on $1.5 million worth of counterfeit clothing, purses, wallets and sunglasses from a raid on a Pitt Meadows, B.C. store where they took a 31-year-old woman and a 56-year-old man into custody.
“The investigation began in September 2009 where the RCMP has been monitoring the store and determined through the name brand holders that name brand merchandise such as Coach, Prada and Chanel were counterfeit and sold at high prices,” said Border Integrity spokesman Sgt. Duncan Pound.
“On Wednesday November 25, 2009 investigators from the RCMP Federal Border Integrity Program executed a search warrant in the 12000 block of Harris Road in Pitt Meadows BC. Upon completion of a seizure of the entire store, the counterfeit merchandise was approximately equivalent to $1.5 million,” he said.
Most of the fakes were manufactured in China and shipped into Canada through the United States, he said.
“With recent advances in technology, criminals are able to make product tags and logos that very closely match the genuine articles,” Pound said.
“To maximize their profit, however, as little attention is paid to the craftsmanship or materials in the product as possible. If you have any doubt about the authenticity of the goods at a certain store, every product has an official web site that will advise the public which retail locations carry the real items,” Pound said.
“As the holiday season approaches we wish to caution shoppers when purchasing name brand products at prices that are too good to be true. Counterfeit goods not only impact the Canadian economy but there are also risks to health and safety posed by counterfeit goods. You are only cheating yourself by making these purchases,” he said.
Charges under the Copyright Act are pending.
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Posted by News Editor
on Nov 30 2009. Filed under LATEST FROM VANCOUVER.
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Im not sure if you guys do your homework before you comment about stuff like this but……did you ever stop to think that maybe the police did charge the owner with fraud???? Did you ever stop to think that perhaps this person may be linked to or a part of the purse party scene??? Oh, and by the way,I seem to remember something in the news last year, at this exact same time, where NYPD busted about 20 or so stores in its ‘counterfeit district’ for selling the same crap. Stop being so critical of the police for a change!!!
The only charge indicated was copyright. We are not aware if other charges were laid.
the lady that owns the store was not telling customers that the were authentic…it is not a crime as there are home purse parites going on all the time and you never see them getting busted…
I am trying to get a clear understanding what the crime was? These stores that sell knock off designer goods usually are pretty clear they are fakes, anyone in there right mind knows a Prada or Dolce and Gabbana handbag would retail for thousand s of dollars, so if you purchase a $60.00 Prada handbag I am pretty sure you know it is a fake. these shops are all over the city so why would the focus be on a shop in the suburbs? Were these handbags advertised as originals, sorry just unclear on the crime, when tourists visit California or New York these shops are a dime a dozen, so is it a crime for the consumer to buy them when they know they are knock- offs?Just want to make sure we are informed as the consumer.
Yes, these stores abound in LA and everywhere else. Two issues arise. One, fraud. If a representation was made to a customer the item is genuine, there would be a case there. But copyright is infringement of use of labels. So if something is NOT CK and the label is a copy of CK then that would amount to a copyright infringement. But may be a tough sell in court and perhaps a waste of public money on something consumers seem to have no problem with. I don’t see cops alleging fraud. Perhaps they will also start enforcing our copyright on our stories as well.?