AI: Irish police seized 800 counterfeit AirPods worth more than one hundred thousand dollars
In County Mayo, western Ireland, police conducted an anti-counterfeiting operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 800 counterfeit devices, including AirPods and iPhone accessories. According to local radio station Newstalk, the value of the seized counterfeits was $173,904, which at the exchange rate as of October 20, 2024 is equal to approximately 16.6 million rubles. This was reported by Apple Insider (AI).
The operation took place on Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18, 2024, and involved searches at businesses in Castlebar, Westport, Ballinrobe and Claremorris. This was a multi-agency operation involving various parts of the police force, including the Crime Squad, the National Immigration Bureau of the Police, the National Revenue Criminal Investigation Bureau, the Labor Relations Commission and the Social Security Special Investigations Unit.
The police spokesman noted that intellectual property crimes such as counterfeit goods cost the EU economy more than €85 billion a year.
No arrests have been made at this time, but the police investigation is ongoing. This case in Ireland follows another in May 2024, when similar counterfeits worth $750,000 were seized in raids in Northern Ireland.
