Customs at Vienna Airport Seized 44,830 Counterfeit Branded Products from China
At Vienna Airport, customs officers made a brilliant bust during the inspection of an air cargo in mid-January. In 73 cartons, which should have been transported from China via Austria to Poland, the customs authorities found 44,830 counterfeit products of various product groups and brands.
Customs at Vienna Airport seized 44,830 counterfeit branded products from China. / Picture: © BMF / Zoll / Flickr Attribution (CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
In total, the luxury cargo weighed more than 2 tons and quickly caught the eye of the customs officers, whose inspection routine and experience give them a good sense of which shipments could contain counterfeit brands. These included, for example, 14,564 pairs of counterfeit sunglasses, 23,060 pieces of cell phone accessories, 1,640 pairs of sports shoes and 308 luxury handbags.
"This case proves the importance of domestic customs. Shipments that are actually only in transit to foreign countries must also be prosecuted if they contain cargo that does not comply with our regulations. With this seizure, our customs have once again helped to protect trademark rights and thus the companies acting correctly. The goods have been temporarily seized and the rights holders of the original trademarks have been notified," said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner.
The further procedure is now the decision of the trademark owners, possibly a procedure due to the violation of trademark protection.
Vienna Airport as one of the largest transit airports in Europe is repeatedly the scene of smuggling and sophisticated crime, as reported by Vindobona.org.