Paris, Feb 1 (IANS) The International Criminal Police Organisation – or Interpol – has seized fake goods worth $200 million in year-long operations in South America targeting organised criminal counterfeiting networks.
Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in the operations, Xinhua reported citing a statement by the France-based organisation.
In coordination with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Interpol conducted the operations across 13 countries.
The counterfeits included construction material, sports apparel and shoes, sunglasses, mobile phones, books, car parts, computer software and alcohol.
The operation – dubbed Operation Jupiter – which was initiated in 2005, mobilised police, customs officers, prosecutors, intellectual property crime investigation specialists in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
‘The volume and range of goods recovered also demonstrates the massive scale of this type of crime not just in South America, but globally,’ Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said.
Interpol has 188 member countries.
