Counterfeit sports clothing seized in Bulgaria

Large quantities of counterfeit sports goods bearing top brand names were seized in Blagoevgrad and Gabrovo, Bulgaria's Interior Ministry press centre said on November 19 2010.

The confiscations were carried out by officers from the Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime's computer crime and intellectual property squad, assisted by local police.

The ministry said that the operation was aimed against the illegal production, storage and distribution of fake sports items.

The operation in Blagoevgrad followed an investigation prompted by a tip-off about a factory that previously had a contract with Levi Strauss and Co, and although the contract had expired, continued to produce goods illegitimately.

The ministry said that the finished work had been stored in a warehouse and sold on the internet.

More than 15 000 items were seized, including shirts, blouses and other clothing bearing Levi Strauss, H &
M and other well-known labels.

The police operation in Gabrovo followed a tip-off about illicit production of Puma sports goods, allegedly also after production continued in spite of the expiry of a contract. Footwear and production materials were confiscated in the police operation.

The Interior Ministry said that pre-trial proceedings had started in both cases.

This is a bit like Russia in the 90's before things were more or less properly regulated. Most people know they are buying fakes, but the real trouble for the consumer starts when the sharp operators charge a real designer price for the goods and you end up paying far more than the actual value of the shoddyish article you are buying.

I've always, over 6 years in BG, bought any clothes in the UK, except for one pair of heavily discounted shoes and a few casual shirts, also heavily discounted - strangely enough, they have lasted very well over about 4 or 5 years

Goes on all the time everywhere not just in Bulgaria , this is something that will never stop the world just doesn't have the resources and if the items weren't so expensive in the first place then the demand wouldn't be there for the counterfeiters

scott wrote:

Goes on all the time everywhere not just in Bulgaria , this is something that will never stop the world just doesn't have the resources and if the items weren't so expensive in the first place then the demand wouldn't be there for the counterfeiters

I agree scott - over here in Turkey you can look a million pound when you walk out a shop, only trouble is none of it is the true article, but then the only people that know is you and the person that sold it to you. If Turkey manage to join Europe they will also have to clear up their act and make conterfeit items illegal.