800 fake Apple products seized by Gardaí in the west of Ireland
The counterfeit products with an estimated loss of revenue of €160k were seized during a two day operation
Earlier this week, gardaí carried out a two day Inter-agency search operation targeting Intellectual Property (IP) crime in the Castlebar, Westport, Ballinrobe and Claremorris areas of County Mayo.
Fake Apple products with an estimated loss of revenue of €160,000 were seized by gardaí across a number of different business premises with a total of over 800 suspected counterfeit items being uncovered.
The products were seized given that they are unregulated at best and the costly impact such products can have on the economy as revenue was not generated by them nor can they be declared safe for use given their counterfeit status.
The operation was conducted by Mayo/Roscommon/Longford Crime Unit, Mayo South Community Engagement, Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Intellectual Property Crime Investigation Unit of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI).
The investigation into the fake products was also assisted by employees in Revenue Customs, Workplace Relations Commission and the Social Welfare Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
No arrests have been made at this time and investigations are ongoing.
Intellectual Property crime is estimated to cost the EU economy over €85 Billion per year and can pose serious risks to public health, safety and job security.