Thousands of items seized from Ontario mall found to be counterfeit: police
Handbags, clothing, cell phone accessories and other items seized for analysis were knockoffs
MARKHAM, Ont. – Police say thousands of items seized from a popular mall north of Toronto have been confirmed as counterfeit.
York regional police say they executed warrants and seized items believed to be counterfeit from Pacific Mall in Markham, Ont., and a kiosk owner’s home in late June following a monthslong investigation.
The items included handbags, clothing and cell phone accessories.
They say officers travelled to New York City to meet with brand representatives from companies including Adidas, Chanel and Cartier and brought along 200 products for analysis.
Police say all of the products were determined to be counterfeit.
Investigators say nobody has been charged in the ongoing investigation, but note that retailers could face charges under the Copyright Act, which bring fines of up to a million dollars and up to five years in prison.
A U.S. government report in January said the mall was one of the world’s top retail sources of imitation goods.
