The Fiscal Action Unit (UAF) of the National Republican Guard (GNR), through the Lisbon Fiscal Action Detachment (DAF) and the Caldas da Rainha Territorial Detachment, identified three men and one woman for counterfeiting and seized 553 items in Caldas da Rainha on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday, the security force disclosed that a surveillance operation was conducted in the area focusing on combating counterfeiting, unlawful use of trademarks, and the sale of counterfeit items.
“During the operation, GNR officers detected various counterfeit clothing items displaying references to well-known brands, which were exposed for sale to the public,” the statement reads.
As a result of the action, the GNR carried out police inquiries which led to the identification of four suspects — three men aged between 16 and 50, and a 29-year-old woman.
In addition, five formal complaints regarding crimes against industrial property were filed, and 553 counterfeit items worth over 8,120 euros were seized, according to the same statement.
The facts have been communicated to the Judicial Court of Caldas da Rainha.
The operation was reinforced by the Intervention Detachments (DI) of Leiria and Lisbon.
The GNR emphasizes that the main aim of such operations is “to safeguard industrial property rights, essentially targeting counterfeiting, imitation, unlawful use of trademarks, and the sale of counterfeit items, thus protecting free market competition and consumer rights.”
Seizures of Counterfeit Products Increased by 398% in 2024
It is noteworthy that, according to the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GAC) report approved in April, the number of counterfeit product seizures in Portugal in 2024 increased by 398% compared to the previous year, reaching the highest value since 2016.
The report notes that a total of 3,264,653 counterfeit products were seized by authorities in 2024, equivalent to over 6 million euros. In 2023, the seizures amounted to 655,000 products.
The seizure of tobacco and tobacco-derived products saw the largest increase, skyrocketing by 15,992.57%, amounting to 424,361 more products than in 2023.
Considerable increases were also observed in the counterfeiting of clothing, footwear, packaging, labels, and tags, with seizures rising by 906.7%. The counterfeiting of mobile phones increased by 476.81%, and perfumes and cosmetic products by 448.59%.
Despite this exponential increase, there were no seizures of CDs, DVDs, cassettes, and games, and seizures of alcoholic beverages and food items decreased by 73%.
The figure recorded in 2024 is the largest increase since 2016, the year in which over 10 million seizures were made, and the report highlights that “counterfeiting continues to grow strongly, associated with the increasing trend of e-commerce.”
The seizures result from actions carried out by the Authority for Food and Economic Security (ASAE), the Tax and Customs Authority (AT), the GNR, the Public Security Police (PSP), the Judiciary Police (PJ), and the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).
