Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 9) busted an upstairs residential unit in Central which was used for selling counterfeit goods to expatriates.

During the operation, the officers seized about 2,300 pieces of counterfeit goods worth about $700,000, including leather goods and watches. They also arrested two men and a woman, aged from 28 to 51. One of them was the person-in-charge of the storage. All arrested persons are on bail pending further investigations.

Customs investigations showed that the unit only accepted patronage of expatriates referred by old customers. It was installed with concealed CCTVs for monitoring activities outside the unit in order to evade detection by law enforcement agencies.

Hong Kong Customs reminds the public to report any cases of suspected counterfeiting activities to the Department by calling the 24-hour hotline 2545 6182.

Any person who contravenes the Trade Descriptions Ordinance is liable to prosecution. The maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 9) busted an upstairs residential unit in Central which was used for selling counterfeit goods to expatriates. Photo shows the counterfeit goods seized.

Ends/Thursday, July 10, 2008