43-year-old man arrested after 318 counterfeit bags worth $11,680 seized

A 43-year-old man was arrested following a six-hour operation for his suspected involvement in the importation of counterfeit bags for the purpose of trade on Sep 26.

In a joint news release by the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Customs, a total of 318 counterfeit bags with an estimated street value of $11,680 were seized in this case.

A total of 200 bags and luggage were detained after Singapore Customs inspected a consignment suspected to contain trademark-infringing goods on Sep 18.

Brand owners confirmed that the items were counterfeit.

The matter was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to follow-up.

After extensive enquiries spanning several days, CID and Singapore Customs officers conducted raids at a warehouse in Jurong Port Road and a residential unit in Punggol, resulting in the arrest of the suspect.

Investigations are ongoing.

The authorities take a serious view on intellectual property right (IPR) infringements and will not hesitate to take action against perpetrators who showed blatant disregard for Singapore’s IPR laws.

Those found guilty of importing, possessing or distributing goods with falsely applied trademark for the purpose of trade may be sentenced up to a maximum fine of $100,000, or be jailed up to five years, or both.