Police in Toronto announced the largest seizure of counterfeit soccer jerseys in Canada’s history, as a search warrant revealed more than $3.5 million worth of counterfeit goods in a warehouse in Mississauga, just west of Toronto.
Toronto police, acting on a tip that led it to the warehouse, then executed a search warrant, and found the fake goods.
Officers seized 16,000 counterfeit jerseys with FIFA, Nike, Adidas and Puma brands. They also found flags and two replica FIFA World Cup trophies.
Police said two men are suspected of selling the fake goods to small retail stores through a legitimate wholesaling company.
"Given the size of this seizure we believe the two men were running the scam for some time," said TPS Sergeant Dave Ecklund. "They operated as a distributor under the name Amana Trading company, selling to retail stores."
In the end, customers paid full price for what they believed were legitimate products.
"Folks are walking into retail stores thinking that they’re buying an authentic piece of say a jersey or sporting equipment," Ecklund said. "They’re paying full price as they would if it was authentic, but they’re getting a fake, a counterfeit."
Both suspects face charges of fraud and possession of property obtained by crime with the intent to deceive or defraud.
Ecklund said counterfeit merchandise often pops up and is a major concern during big sporting events.
