They sold fakes for 133,000 euros through social networks. They stored them in a house in the east

EASTERN SLOVAKIA. In eastern Slovakia, they detained textile merchants who were selling imitations of well-known fashion brands over the Internet.

As part of the action codenamed Baron, members of the Criminal Office of the Financial Administration detained four persons who stored goods worth more than 133 thousand euros in the family home.

Individual models were demonstrated on the social network and sent to buyers by courier service.

Four detained

As part of the event, criminal investigators conducted a house search and other searches of non-residential premises. They seized a large number of clothes, shoes and fashion accessories from world-famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Phillip Plein, LIU JO and others, which show signs of intellectual property infringement.

Four detainees are already being criminally prosecuted for violating the rights to the trademark, indication of product origin and trade name, committed as an accomplice.

If found guilty, they face one to five years in prison.

Destruction or lawsuit

The financial administration also notified the representatives of the trademark owners of the seizure of the goods, who will decide on the next course of action.

“They have the opportunity to express themselves, whether they agree to the destruction of the goods, or whether they will file a motion in court in the matter of trademark counterfeiting,” informed the spokeswoman for the financial administration, Martina Rybanská.

Read the most important news from the east of Slovakia at Korzar.sme.sk.