The New York Police Department has broken up a large counterfeit merchandise operation in Manhattan, arresting 17 people in a sweep through the Little Italy and Chinatown area, Eyewitness News ABC7NY and News 12 reported. The department released new video of the crackdown, which it described as a major bust targeting a massive trade in fake goods.
The scale of the haul was striking. According to police, the seized merchandise would have been worth about 151 million dollars if the items had been real, an indication of how large and lucrative the alleged counterfeiting operation had become.
Officers moved on several sites at once. Investigators served search warrants at locations on Canal, Hester and Mulberry Streets, the heart of the area long associated with street vendors, along with a separate warehouse on West 27th Street that was tied to the operation.
The recovered goods spanned a range of knockoff products. Officers seized thousands of fake items, including fragrances, jewelry, electronics, apparel and bags, the kind of counterfeit luxury and brand-name products often sold to unsuspecting shoppers and tourists.
The raids also turned up a significant amount of cash. Police said they recovered 145,000 dollars in cash during the sting, money that authorities say was generated by the sale of the counterfeit merchandise.
All 17 of those taken into custody are facing charges connected to trademark counterfeiting. The arrests cap an operation that police framed as a strike against an illegal trade that undercuts legitimate businesses and trades on the names of established brands.
With the video of the crackdown now public, the department is highlighting the size of the seizure as a warning to others involved in the counterfeit market. The bust, carried out on Thursday, leaves the suspects in the legal system as the case moves forward.