PHUKET: More than 300,000 items of counterfeit brand-name clothes, accessories and bags worth over 42 million baht have been seized from shops on Soi Bangla, a popular nightlife and shopping street on Patong beach.
Police and officials from several agencies searched shops and vending stalls lining the soi and seized pirated products from 25 of them late Friday night.
The seized products, numbering over 300,000 and bearing luxury brand names, included shirts, shoes, belts, bags, and eyeglasses. The brands included Rayban, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and others.
The products had estimated market value of some 42 million baht in total, according to the Immigration Bureau’s Facebook page.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, acting commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said the government has given more emphasis on combating pirated products and trademark infringement.
Police investigators found that the Bangla market was a major venue for the selling of pirated products in the resort island, he said.
Peeraphat Ingpongpan, of the AntiMoney Laundering Office (Amlo), said his agency would trace the money trail of business operators involved in the trademark infringement. Measures to confiscate the violators' assets would be taken to tackle this problem.
Police initially pressed charges of selling counterfeit products against the shop owners. The offences carry a jail of up to four years and/or a fine up to 40,000 baht.
