Customs officers seized 41 pieces of suspected counterfeit mattresses, worth about $28,560, at five chain retail outlets in Tin Shui Wai, Sha Tin and Ho Man Tin and a warehouse in Yuen Long during an operation conducted on October 6.
After extensive investigations based on information given by a trade mark owner, Customs officers from the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau conducted an operation and raided five outlets (three in Tin Shui Wai, one in Sha Tin and one in Ho Man Tin) and a warehouse in Yuen Long.
As a result, they seized five mattresses in the five retail outlets; and 36 mattresses in the warehouse in Yuen Long.
Customs officers also arrested two men, aged 33 and 34 respectively. Of them, the man, aged 33, has been released after investigations, while the 34-year-old man has been bailed out at $8,000 pending further investigations.
A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department said today (October 8) that anyone who contravenes the Trade Descriptions Ordinance was liable to prosecution. The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
He said that Customs investigations are under way. Customs officers have yet to ascertain the source of the suspected counterfeit mattresses.
Samples of the seized mattresses will be sent to the Government Laboratory for testing to confirm whether they have satisfied the "general safety requirement" of the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance.
Under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, the maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.
The spokesman appealed to members of the public to report suspected counterfeit activities to the Customs and Excise Department by calling the 24-hour hotline 2545 6182.
Ends/Friday, October 8, 2004