Customs seizes $156m in fake World Cup goods, six arrested

Customs has seized HK$156 million worth of suspected counterfeit World Cup merchandise and arrested six people ahead of Friday's games.

The operation, which ran from May 26 to Wednesday, cracked 34 cross-border smuggling and online sales cases involving World Cup products at border checkpoints, logistics centers, and on the internet.

A total of 230,000 suspected counterfeit items were seized, including about 30,000 football jerseys along with counterfeit shoes, clothing and watches. 

+12

Authorities reported that all jerseys were set to be transported overseas, with about 80 percent destined for the United States. 

During the operation, officers arrested a 36-year-old cross-border male driver at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, while the remaining arrestees are suspected of selling 40 counterfeit jerseys online. 

Customs said the counterfeit jerseys are highly realistic, mimicking authentic fabric textures and adding protective film to logos to resemble genuine packaging. 

Notably, most of the fake jerseys are replicas of the player version, with a market value of between HK$1,100 to HK$1,300.

As the World Cup Finals approach, Customs urged the public to buy from reputable shops and check print quality and called on the logistics industry to report suspected infringing goods. 

The department also called on the local logistics industry to report any suspected infringing goods they encounter.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓