Irish police seize more than $170,000 in counterfeit Apple products

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Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 20

Reports of counterfeiting in County Mayo, western Ireland, have led local police to seize more than 800 counterfeit devices, including AirPods, from businesses in the area.

A table displays numerous boxed electronics, including headphones and smartphones, against a backdrop with a police logo and community engagement message.
A sample of the counterfeit Apple products seized in the raid -- image credit: An Garda Siochana



According to local radio station Newstalk, the seized counterfeits were worth an estimated $173,904. As well as AirPods, they included various iPhone accessories,

The counterfeits were seized over Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18, 2024. Police raided businesses across Castlebar, Westport, Ballinrobe and Claremorris

It was a multi-agency operation, centered on the local police crime unit that covers the counties of Mayo, Roscommon, and Longford. The investigation also used the Garda National Immigration Bureau, the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation Revenue, Workplace Relations Commission, and the Social Welfare Special Investigations Unit.

A police spokesperson estimated that overall, intellectual property crime such as these counterfeit products costs the EU economy over 85 billion Euro ($92.4 billion) per year.

No arrests have yet been made, but the police investigation is ongoing.

This case in Ireland follows one in May 2024 where similar counterfeits worth $750,000 were seized in raids in Northern Ireland.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    Panner_NuddingPanner_Nudding Posts: 19member
    How exactly is the price counterfeit products calculated? Is that the price if they were legit apple products? Is it what the people sale them for? Is it a number that authorities arbitrarily gave them and the amount can be argued in court for reduced or increased the punishment? 
    jamnapelijahgwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 4
    PemaPema Posts: 155member
    Ireland? So what else is new?  B)
  • Reply 3 of 4
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,605member
    Panner_Nudding said:
    How exactly is the price counterfeit products calculated? Is that the price if they were legit apple products? Is it what the people sale them for? Is it a number that authorities arbitrarily gave them and the amount can be argued in court for reduced or increased the punishment? 
    I can't speak for the Garda, but it's generally calculated as the price if they had been legit Apple products, because counterfeits are usually sold at the normal pricing, which is how the counterfeiters make their profits.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 4
    XedXed Posts: 2,887member
    chasm said:
    Panner_Nudding said:
    How exactly is the price counterfeit products calculated? Is that the price if they were legit apple products? Is it what the people sale them for? Is it a number that authorities arbitrarily gave them and the amount can be argued in court for reduced or increased the punishment? 
    I can't speak for the Garda, but it's generally calculated as the price if they had been legit Apple products, because counterfeits are usually sold at the normal pricing, which is how the counterfeiters make their profits.
    But even at a reduced rate for a quick sale, it's calculated as what was lost by taken away from a legitimate purchase.
    chasmwatto_cobra
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