Hong Kong Customs conducted an operation against the sale of counterfeit items at a mobile hawker stall on July 27. About 6 900 items of suspected counterfeit goods, including clothing, caps and shoes, with an estimated market value of about $420,000 were seized.
Customs earlier received information alleging the sale of suspected counterfeit items at a mobile hawker stall in Stanley. After an in-depth investigation with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers raided the hawker stall and 13 mobile storage facilities in nearby alleys and seized the batch of suspected counterfeit items. This is the first-ever case detected of a single mobile hawker selling counterfeit items using multiple mobile storage facilities.
During the operation, a 44-year-old female stall owner was arrested.
An investigation is ongoing.
During the summer holiday, Customs will continue to step up inspections and enforcements to combat the sale of counterfeit goods.
Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.
Customs also reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells, or possesses for sale, any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Monday, July 29, 2019
