Customs seizes 4,300 fake children’s clothing items worth $500,000, couple arrested

Hong Kong Customs has arrested a couple suspected of selling counterfeit children’s clothing through online messaging groups after officers seized about 4,300 suspected fake items worth around HK$500,000 from a storage warehouse in Tuen Mun.

The operation followed a report from a member of the public alleging that counterfeit clothing was being sold through an instant messaging application group.

According to Customs, officers from the Copyright and Trademark Investigation Bureau conducted an investigation and identified a warehouse believed to be used for storing counterfeit goods in an industrial building in Tuen Mun.

Authorities carried out a raid at the premises around noon on Tuesday (Mar 10), arresting a 30-year-old woman suspected to be the administrator of the online group. Officers seized about 4,300 suspected counterfeit items, mainly children’s clothing, with an estimated market value of HK$500,000.

Following further investigation, Customs officers arrested a 41-year-old man the following day in Tuen Mun. He is the husband of the woman and is suspected of renting the warehouse and assisting in collecting payments for the counterfeit goods.

A Customs spokesman of the Copyright and Trademark General Investigation Group said they earlier received a tip-off from a member of the public that counterfeit clothing was being sold through an instant messaging group.

Customs believes the couple operated the business in a family-style setup, promoting the group through posts on social media platforms to recruit members before selling counterfeit items within the messaging group. The goods were then delivered to customers through courier services.

Investigators said the messaging group had accumulated nearly 4,000 members and had been operating for about six months.

The warehouse involved measured around 200 square feet and was located inside a subdivided industrial unit where multiple tenants shared the space. Access to the premises required a password, which investigators said added to the difficulty of the operation.

Customs believes the business initially focused on selling children’s clothing and later expanded to include matching parent-and-child outfits in an effort to attract more customers.

The suspected counterfeit products were sold at roughly half the price of genuine items, according to the investigation.

Both suspects have been released on bail pending further inquiries, and Customs said the investigation remains ongoing. Authorities added that further arrests have not been ruled out.