Customs officers on Thursday said they arrested six people in an operation targeting counterfeit goods related to the World Cup.

The 230,000 items seized – which were either cross-boundary shipments or online goods – had an estimated market value of HK$156 million.

A majority of items were suspected fake shoes, clothing and watches, while the rest were suspected counterfeit jerseys.

Wayne Chung, senior investigator of the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, said the jerseys seized had a high resemblance to genuine ones.

"The counterfeit jerseys seized in this operation have quite a high degree of authenticity. The craftsmanship of some is quite meticulous. In general, customers would find it hard distinguish the fakes from the real shirts," he said.

"We noticed that some of the counterfeit jerseys mimicked the 3D pattern found on the fabric of genuine jerseys. Also, there were some that came with a brand tag and were individually packed."

He went on to say that there were also transparent stickers on areas prone to scratches for protection in a bid to better match the packaging of authentic jerseys.

All the jerseys seized were to be transported to other places instead of being for sale in the SAR, 80 percent of which were destined for the Americas, Chung added.

He believes this was due to the high demand for jerseys during the World Cup that kicks off early on Friday morning Hong Kong time.

The arrestees, aged between 17 and 36, were released on bail pending investigation.

Members of the public are urged to buy their goods at reputable shops and pay attention to the quality of jerseys to prevent them taking home counterfeit items.

Customs officers also called on people working in the logistics sector to maintain their vigilance when inspecting customers' goods, and report any suspicions they might have with the authorities when necessary.


Edited by Tony Sabine