Fake handbags, phone cases worth $300,000 seized from mall along Scotts Road, 11 nabbed

SINGAPORE - Police seized about $300,000 worth of fake handbags, jewellery as well as phone and tablet cases in simultaneous raids of six shops at a mall along Scotts Road on Thursday.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Here is the statement from the Singapore Police Force:

POLICE BUST SYNDICATES INVOLVED IN SALES OF COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS

Police have arrested nine men and two women, aged between 23 and 62, for suspected involvement in the sales and distribution of trade mark infringing products.

The suspects were arrested in a 12-hour operation conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on March 27, 2014.

The arrests were the result of extensive probes over the past few months into the syndicates' illicit activities at a shopping mall along Scotts Road. During the operation, the officers conducted simultaneous raids at six shops within the shopping mall.

A total of about 8,700 pieces of infringing goods, which bear the trade marks of well-known cartoon characters and luxury brands, with an estimated street value of about $300,000 were seized during the said operation. Investigations against the suspects are ongoing.

Head of the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the CID, Superintendent of Police Teo Cheow Beng, commended the officers for their excellent work and said, "The sale and distribution of counterfeit goods is a serious offence. Police will not hesitate to take strict enforcement action against these pirates who profit at the expense of legitimate business and consumers."

Persons found guilty of selling or distributing infringing goods with falsely applied trade mark may be fined up to a maximum of $100,000, or an imprisonment term which may extend to five years, or both.