French customs officers seized 250,000 counterfeit toys and school items during two large operations carried out this summer, the Ministry of the Economy announced on Monday, referring among other things to fake Disney, Lego or Marvel products.
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"On the occasion of two observations made this summer, French customs officers withdrew from the market several hundred thousand counterfeit toys and school items", announced in a statement Bercy, on which customs officers depend. Of the approximately 250,000 items seized in total, most - 226,000 - were seized during the control, at the beginning of July, of a heavy vehicle, registered in Poland, on the outskirts of Lons-le-Saunier (Jura). If the figure is high, it is because they were multiple "loose bricks" , as well as false assembly instructions imitating a "toy brand" which Bercy does not give the name.
"Poor quality"
The other operation, carried out in mid-August in Martinique in the warehouse of a "commercial sign" , resulted in the seizure of far fewer items - 22,405 - but of a much more diverse nature. "Among the toys were stuffed animals, guitars for children, beach rackets, assemblable bricks, bubble blowers, cars, trains, gourds, watches, plates, bags" , lists Bercy. These articles, "otherwise of poor quality", notably counterfeited the Lego, Star Wars, Marvel, Hello Kitty, Disney, Minions, Cartoon Network and Rovio Entertainment brands. Along with these counterfeit toys, customs officials also seized counterfeit school items.