Gardai have seized 4,000 illegal TV 'dodgy boxes' in searches in Dublin and the midlands as part of a Europe-wide crackdown on fake branded products.
Counterfeit computer batteries and accessories, fake phone parts, and fake sportswear and shoes were also recovered as part of Operation Aphrodite III.
The cross-border operation, co-ordinated by Interpol and with significant involvement from police in both Ireland and Italy, targeted the online sale of the fake branded products in over 20 European countries.
14 individual investigations were undertaken by Gardai in Dublin, Laois, Tipperary, Waterford, and Mayo, leading to the seizure of over 6,000 sham items nationwide.
"Investigation files are being prepared for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration, relating to suspected breaches of the provisions of Section 140 of the Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 and Section 92 of the Trademarks Act 1996 (Counterfeiting)," Gardai added.
"The aforementioned investigations resulted, in particular, in the seizure of 4,000 illicit set top boxes in three particular searches undertaken in the midlands and Dublin.
"Two of the searches targeted wholesale level distributers.
"In the course of the operation, the input coordinated through GNBCI resulted in a total of 4,200 websites selling copyrighted materials across the European Union and beyond being identified."
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