MURCIA – As reported by the Guardia Civil, and as part of operation Bambos, six people have been arrested and six others are under investigation in Archena, Murcia.
They are alleged to be part of a criminal organisation that specialises in fake clothing and footwear for distribution throughout the whole of Spain.
Replica labels
A warehouse in the area was searched and as a result, almost 10,000 counterfeit items of clothing and footwear were seized. In addition, over 15,000 replica labels, documentation, packaging were also found as well as a high-spec vehicle. Moreover, it is thought if the goods were sold, they would fetch around €1.7 million.
Operation Bambos
According to the official Guardia Civil report, operation Bambos began almost 2 years ago, in June 2020. There was rumour of a warehouse where counterfeit goods were being stored. Police then found out that sales were being made from the warehouse directly to customers. Furthermore, several vehicles from courier companies would come and go, sometimes with large quantities of packages.
Search warrant
With this information, the Guardia Civil requested a search warrant for the premises.
A record of “stock” was found to be advertised on social media. This resulted in weekly “orders” being shipped outside of Murcia. The items shipped had labels and packaging very similar to the original brands. Furthermore, it is alleged there were up to 34 counterfeit brands found.
High quality
According to the investigation, the products were replicas of sports brands and designer wear. The goods came through Asian or other European manufacturers. But once they arrived in Murcia, the accused would begin to apply the labels. Seemingly the quality of the work was very high, and difficult to determine from the original in some cases.
Of the 12 arrested and under investigation, 6 are male, and 6 are female, aged between 28 and 46, and of Spanish or Paraguayan nationality.
Also read: Millions of euros and assets seized by Guardia Civil during 2021
