TWO business people, including prominent merchant Michael Ammar Snr, were arrested for allegedly peddling in fake brand name clothes in Kingston’s shopping districts.

The 70 year old Ammar Snr was allegedly found with 51 pairs of sneakers deemed to infringe on Puma trademark, according to the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) – the information arm of the police. The merchandise was allegedly found after the police searched both his stores in the Village Mall and Springs Plazas on October 15.

Michael Ammar Snr is the father of Michael Ammar Jnr, the immediate past president of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), who has in the past led a campaign against counterfeit products being sold in Jamaica.

The Ammars family store – Ammars – had complained about the sale in Jamaica of the counterfeit Tommy Hilfiger brand of clothing, which the store distributes.

The other business operator, a 38 year old woman, Jiang AL Hur of Oxford Road in Kingston was allegedly found with 117 pairs of stockings labelled IVY, in breach of the Green Pack band name. The police alleged that the merchandise was found after searching her Clock Tower and Parkington Plaza establishments, last Friday – October 22.

Both were arrested for breaching the Trademark Act, and are scheduled to appear in the Half Way Tree Resident Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, November 2.

Neither Ammar Snr nor Al Hur could be reached for comment yesterday.

The Organised Crime Investigation Unit, a branch of the police force which investigated the violations, told the Observer that the maximum penalty is both imprisonment and a fined.

At the same time, the police said more arrests will follow as the unit focusses its investigations on music piracy.

“We are looking at more persons in general counterfeiting of goods.we are looking also at counterfeiting of CDs and DVDs,” said Superintendent Devon Watkis, acting head of the Organised Crime Investigation Unit.

Watkis told the Observer that there is a renewed drive internationally to clamp down on counterfeiting.

Trevor Fearon, executive director at the JCC, would not comment on the arrests, but said that the [JCC is] “opposed to importation of fake products. we are opposed to it”.

“We have been actively working in an effort to ensure that copyright stakeholders are protected. So we are opposed to any importation and sale of fake products,” he said. “And we are prepared to work with the authorities to stamp out this practice.”