More than $10 million in ‘high-end’ fakes seized in Lower Manhattan
Cops cashed in more than $10 million in counterfeit “high-end” merchandise in a crackdown on illegal street vendors in lower Manhattan on Monday, law enforcement officials said.
New York police with counterfeit purses, sneakers and other illicit merchandise on Canal Street resulted in a total of 17 arrests, with the fraudulent vendors facing a main charge of counterfeiting for over $1,000, a crime in the state, Patrol Chief Jeff Maddrey said .
“The area of enforcement we visited today resembled a local street market,” the chief said at a news conference hours after the arrest.
“Sidewalks are blocked, property everywhere, goods everywhere. This really impacts local businesses negatively and reduces the quality of life.
“We seized over three truckloads of goods.”
Maddrey said the department will begin expanding its outreach throughout New York City to learn how to legally obtain licenses from vendors as the holiday season approaches, while also reminding vendors that the sale of counterfeit merchandise is still illegal.
The NYPD raid with counterfeit purses, sneakers and other items resulted in a total of 17 arrests.
Cops said the department will be stepping up their messages throughout New York City on how to legally obtain vendor licenses.
The sellers face charges of counterfeiting in excess of $1,000, which is a criminal offense in New York.
Millions of dollars in counterfeit goods were scooped in a crackdown on illegal street vendors in Lower Manhattan.
“We recognize that activities like this will increase during the holiday season and our efforts to deter and investigate this behavior continue,” Maddrey said.
Bill Friberg, a “counterfeit detection specialist” and retired NYPD sergeant who was brought to the raid by the Seventh Precinct Police Department, told the Post that most of the goods seized came from China or India.
“This stuff is poor quality fakes,” said Friberg, a managing partner at Triple I Associates LLC, according to his LinkedIn.
“Ninety-nine percent of it I can just look at and tell you it’s fake,” he said.
Maddrey quipped as he handed a fake Louis Vuitton bag, “I mean, listen. This look looks good to me, but that’s why there’s a specialist that comes in and works with the company to tell us what’s good and what’s not.”
https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/more-than-10m-in-high-end-knock-offs-seized-in-lower-manhattan/ More than $10 million in ‘high-end’ fakes seized in Lower Manhattan
