The State Security Forces and Corps are successful in their fight against counterfeiting

We have recently learned the result of two completed operations aimed at combating counterfeiting and the infringement of industrial property rights.

Operation Ludus II

Seized more than 5 million potentially dangerous toys in 21 countries.

The Ludus II operation, coordinated by Europol, concludes with the seizure of dangerous toys with a total value of more than 18 million euros.

Europol coordinated operational activities, facilitated the exchange of communications and provided operational analysis. Europol's IPC3 (Intellectual Property Crime Coordinated Coalition), which supported the investigation, is a project to combat intellectual property crime co-financed by the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

Participating EU Member States are Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.

Third countries, such as the Ivory Coast, North Macedonia, the United Kingdom and the United States, also participate in the same

Coinciding with the peak consumption period due to Christmas, Europol coordinated the Ludus II operation against trafficking in toys and other counterfeit goods. Led by the Spanish Civil Guard, the Spanish National Police and the Spanish customs authorities and co-led by the Romanian Police, Ludus II involved police authorities from 21 countries in total. The EU Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) also supported the operation, while the World Customs Organization (WCO) participated as an observer and provided secure communication with its members to support operational activities.

Seizures made during the operation include counterfeit and illegal puzzle games, video games and related characters, board and card games, dolls and puppets from famous television series, children's construction games, and clothing and accessories from famous brands. Seized assets pose risks such as chemical exposure, strangulation, suffocation, electric shock, hearing damage, and fire hazards. This was the result of a EUIPO analysis of these alerts, which led to the launch of the first Ludus operation in 2020. See this link for the Ludus I analysis report.

During the operational phase of Ludus II, the authorities carried out controls and inspections to detect illegal shipments and storage. Several raids were made as a result of investigations into e-commerce platforms, some of which, like Amazon, actively participated.

Main data of Ludus II:

• Seizures worth almost 18 million euros
• More than 5 million counterfeit toys
• 2,600 open administrative/sanitary prevention cases
• 99 people reported to the judicial authorities
• 1,459 people investigated
• 72 online marketplaces reviewed
• 30 closed websites

Operation Bambos

The Civil Guard has dismantled in Archena (Murcia) an organization specializing in the counterfeiting of clothing and footwear of up to 34 different brands for distribution throughout the national territory. The investigation began in June 2020.

The operation has concluded with six arrests and another six people investigated, as alleged perpetrators of a crime against IP.

Almost 10,000 counterfeit products have been seized in the Archena warehouse, more than 16,000 replicas of well-known brand labels, useful for handling, documentation, packaging material and a high-end vehicle. The economic benefit of the criminal activity discovered would reach 1,700,000 euros.

The analysis of the documentation and the digital files seized has allowed the investigators to determine that, upon request, weekly shipments were made outside Murcia to numerous clients, and they maintained a catalog of products in stock on online social media platforms.

The identified people were part of a perfectly structured criminal organization with personnel dedicated to each of the operational steps, from the acquisition of the products, their subsequent handling – using iron-on stickers, labeling and packaging that looked similar to the original – to those in charge of their national distribution and management of online sales.

For the manipulation of the brands, they acquired the raw product after which the counterfeiting work began, applying replicas of labels and thermo-adhesives to garments and footwear to achieve an appearance that was very difficult to distinguish from the originals.