Police in County Mayo, western Ireland, carried out an anti-counterfeiting operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 800 counterfeit devices, including AirPods and iPhone accessories. According to local radio station Newstalk, the value of the seized fakes was $173,904, which was equal to approximately 16.6 million rubles at the October 20, 2024 exchange rate. about this reports Apple Insider (AI) publication.
The operation took place on Thursday and Friday, 17 and 18 October 2024, and searches were carried out at businesses in Castlebar, Westport, Ballinrobe and Claremorris. This was a multi-agency operation involving various units of the police force, including the Crime Squad, the Police’s National Immigration Bureau, the Inland Revenue Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Labor Relations Commission and the Social Security Special Investigations Unit.
A police spokesman said intellectual property crimes, such as counterfeit products, cost the EU economy more than €85 billion a year.
No arrests have been made at this time but the police investigation is ongoing. This case in Ireland follows another case in May 2024, when similar counterfeit products worth $750,000 were seized in raids in Northern Ireland.
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