$75m seized, wholesale owners charged in fake goods sting

More than $75 million in cash and thousands of pieces of counterfeit merchandise carrying the labels of globally recognised brands were seized by law-enforcement authorities during multiple operations on the weekend.

The counterfeit merchandise, which includes more than 300 pairs of ‘Nike Air Force One’ sneakers as well as ‘Gucci’, ‘Polo’, ‘Reebok’, ‘Crocs’, and ‘Jordan’ apparel, has an estimated value of $4 million.

The five-hour operations targeted a wholesale located on Orange Street in downtown Kingston, along with its Jamaican proprietors, law-enforcement sources told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

The husband-and-wife proprietors of the wholesale were arrested and charged with possession of criminal property, unauthorised use of trademark, and misleading the public, the police confirmed yesterday.

The police have not released their names, citing “concerns for their safety”.

The two have since been released on bail, each in the amount of $1.5 million.

The operations began on Friday when a joint team from the police Special Investigations Branch and the Financial Investigations Division showed up at the business place.

Investigators allegedly found millions of dollars in cash as well as hundreds of pairs of counterfeit Nike and Reebok sneakers, along with other items of clothing, sources disclosed.

It is alleged that millions of dollars in cash were also found inside a motor vehicle owned by one of the proprietors of the wholesale.

MILLIONS IN CASH FOUND

The investigators allegedly found over $40 million in cash during a subsequent search of the couple’s St Andrew home.

“Money was found at the Orange Street location, at the premises in Red Hills [St Andrew] shared by both suspects, and also cash was seized in a bus owned by one of the suspects,” a police spokesperson said yesterday.

The couple is scheduled to appear in the Corporate Area Criminal Court on September 10.

Experts believe that the value of Jamaica’s underground counterfeit market exceeds $2 billion.

Approximately $3.35 billion worth of counterfeit goods were seized in Jamaica between 2022 and 2024, according to statistics compiled by the police Intellectual Property Unit.

Arising from these operations, a total of 14 persons were convicted for breaches of the Trademark Act, resulting in fines totalling over $10 million being imposed by the courts.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the police destroyed more than $3 billion worth of counterfeit goods.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com