A couple who ran an import and sale chain of counterfeit luxury goods, sold throughout France, were arrested this week in Drôme, AFP learned on Thursday from the gendarmerie.
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In March, cyber patrols led to a first search in Ardèche, where false bags of major brands were seized and two people arrested. The investigation went back to their suppliers, a Montélimar couple supplying at least 250 customers, mainly resellers, throughout the country. They themselves were supplied in Turkey, according to the squadron chief Thierry Chopard.
On Wednesday, six searches led to the seizure of 1,200 counterfeit luxury goods (perfumes, clothing, shoes, leather goods, etc.). The couple, placed in police custody, have been released but should be prosecuted at the end of the investigations. This illegal trade, carried out for less than two years, would have brought in around 100,000 euros in profits, according to the same source.