Tens of thousands of people have been spared the threat of a cheap bottle of fake perfume for Christmas, following a major seizure by Customs and Excise officers in Dublin Port.
Two containers holding 59,000 bottles of counterfeit perfumes and aftershaves were intercepted in the biggest seizure of the year and “possibly the biggest ever of its kind” , according to the Revenue Commissioners.
Brought in from China by a major criminal gang, the fake perfumes were likely to have been sold at street markets for a quarter of the price of genuine goods – potentially netting the gang up to €2 million.
The containers were singled out for inspection because of their “risk profile”, rather than because of any intelligence. The counterfeit goods were found hidden behind legitimate cargo.
Detrimental effect
Neither customs officers nor the Garda will be identifying the labels on the bottles, since links to fake goods in the past have had a seriously detrimental effect on genuine products, a Garda spokesman said.
“Fake goods damage the exchequer, but can also damage the consumer who puts untested creams or sprays on their skin, as well as damaging the businesses, where genuine tax payers work” said Customs officer, Mick O’Hanlon.
Imports are regularly checked at the port to curb VAT and duty avoidance, along with ensuring that electrical products that fail to meet EU safety rules are not put on sale.
Richard Guiney of the traders organisation Dublin Town said one in 20 products sold in the city is counterfeit. Although this is low by international standards, it could still cause “reputational damage” as more than half of all visitors shop in the city.
