Fakes valued at 50 million baht found in raids in Saraburi

PHOTO: INN News

That’s another 50 million baht worth of counterfeits off the streets.

The Department of Special Investigation has seized counterfeit goods in a series of raids, with a street value of around 50 million baht and including some 158,000 items. In this case, the fakes were mostly brand name eyeglasses and clothing accessories. The DSI, Department of Intellectual Property and representatives from Satyapon & Partners IP Law Firm conducted the raid on counterfeit goods including glasses, belts, baseball caps, and other fake goods in Saraburi Province, just north east of the capital.

The DIP uncovered information on a group that was smuggling counterfeit goods into Thailand. They reported that the goods are imported in cargo shipments before they were moved and hidden in 2 warehouses located in Saraburi.

Officials gathered the necessary documents before a search warrant was issued. Counterfeit products are very popular in Thailand. Often the distribution channel is through online shopping such as Facebook , Instagram accounts, LINE and other applications. The products are paid for via bank transfers or credit cards then the product is normally delivered to the customer by post. Fake goods used to be commonly sold in markets across Thailand, including MBK and popular street markets but have moved over to the online domain.

A warrant was issued by the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court to conduct the raids in Saraburi. Officials searched two commercial buildings on December 18. The raids also included representatives of the brands to point out the infringed trademarks on their brand name products.

A total of 18,000 counterfeit products were found in the raids including the discovery of 140,000 eyeglasses without the proper importation documents. Together the search led to 158,000 products.

SOURCE: Thai Residents