10,000 suspected fake football jerseys seized in HK$64 million customs crackdown
Officers seize about 110,000 items, including jerseys, perfumes, clothing, earphones and mobile phones in 37 smuggling cases
Hong Kong customs has seized about 10,000 suspected counterfeit football jerseys and other unlicensed goods worth an estimated HK$64 million (US$8 million) ahead of the World Cup finals in June.
Three people aged 25 to 56 were also arrested on suspicion of violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance during the operation Customs and Excise Department carried out from March 9 to 27.
Officers targeted cross-boundary transshipment and local deliveries, seizing about 110,000 items, including jerseys, perfumes, clothing, earphones and mobile phones. They recorded 37 cases and investigations are continuing.
“We believe the syndicates took advantage of the major football tournament to meet the strong demand from local fans by transshipping these counterfeit jerseys to those regions for sale,” said Inspector Wesley Yeung Tit-fung of the department’s intellectual property transnational investigation division.
Among the intercepted batches were about 10,000 suspected unlicensed football jerseys bearing national team crests and designs of countries taking part in the finals.
The jerseys, destined for shipment to the Americas, were worth about HK$4 million, Yeung said, adding their craftsmanship, quality and fidelity were high.