Cops seize 1b yuan of ‘LV’ goods in raids

Police in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, seized counterfeit Louis Vuitton products worth more than 1 billion yuan (US$162.8 million) in multiple raids in June.

A total of 14 people were detained in the raids on six gangs alleged to be involved in the manufacture and sale of the fake items, police said yesterday.

The haul included 11,000 bags and suitcases, plus 494 rolls of leather and accessories to make about 180,000 handbags.

All of the confiscated items were printed with the Louis Vuitton trademark.

Officers also found 27 machines used in the manufacture of leather goods, and about 30 million "LV" trademark labels.

The gang is accused of selling counterfeit products to consumers via a website designed to look like the genuine Louis Vuitton site.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou police said yesterday that in May they seized more than 63,000 items of counterfeit sportswear worth almost 19 million yuan.

Officers worked with colleagues from Guangxi Province to bust a gang accused of making fake goods from top names such as Nike and Adidas.

Guangzhou police claimed to have tackled 943 cases involving counterfeit products and detained 1,488 suspects in the first half of the year.

The value of the confiscated items was more than 1.2 billion yuan, they said.