MORE than $30 million worth of counterfeit Puma and other brand name shoes were seized by the police yesterday in an ongoing crackdown by the Counter-Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Branch (CTOC).

Two stores at the Cross Road Shopping Centre on Slipe Road in Kingston were raided and the owners of the fake goods taken into custody.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Victor Barrett told the Jamaica Observer that the operation was the second of its kind since the start of the year, with more $50 million worth of counterfeit items confiscated so far.

“The first seizure we had this year was downtown (Kingston) on Princess Street where we seized a huge number of Crocs. At these two locations we found a large quantity of counterfeit Nike, and Puma and Clarks and Converse shoes with a street value of more than $30 million.

“We are here as part of our enforcement drive to rid the streets of counterfeit goods and this came out of our ongoing investigations which led us here. Two persons were taken into custody with a view to be charged later,” said ASP Barrett.

Illicit trade in counterfeit and pirated goods, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), was valued at US $509 billion in 2016.

ASP Barrett noted that the practice of selling fake goods has become a lucrative business in Jamaica.

“The scope of the problem is worldwide, but Jamaica is not immune and depending on where you look, the counterfeit industry come next year, 2022, will be worth about US $7 trillion, and Jamaica is just a tiny speck within the sphere of counterfeit goods.

“When you traverse the streets, Kingston and Montego Bay, and elsewhere, you will see the items in your face. So, persons are getting involved in this illicit industry because it is lucrative. So it’s here and it is widespread,” said the superintendent.

As signatories to the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property) Agreement, Jamaica has obligations under international law to prosecute breaches of intellectual property rights to include copyright, trademark, and patents.

“We have a mandate under the law and the right holder, the person who holds that brand once they discover that breaches are taking place, they report to us and we do our due diligence to ensure that we have the right targets in place,” said Barrett.