Gardaí seize Gucci goods and 180 counterfeit Apple headphones in Dublin searches

Eva Osborne

Gardaí have seized luxury goods and 180 suspected counterfeit Apple Air Pod Max headphones, with an estimated loss of revenue of €104,400, following two search warrants in Dublin residences.

On Friday, as part of an operation targeting Intellectual Property (IP) crime, An Garda Síochána carried out two searches under warrant at business and residential premises in the Dublin 1 and Dublin 13 areas.

Gardaí seized luxury goods, suspected counterfeit items, and cash.

Items seized included:

• 180 suspected counterfeit Apple Air Pod Max headphones, with an estimated loss of revenue of €104,400;
• 185 suspected counterfeit fake Otterbox mobile phone cases with an estimated loss of revenue of €5,500;
• Luxury goods by brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Balenciaga and Hermes – with an estimated value of €6,000;
• €25,710 cash.

Assistant Commissioner Paul Cleary, of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, said: "The Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT) have once again shown their effectiveness in tackling Organised Criminal Gangs operating across our capital city.

"Large-scale intellectual property theft and the associated money laundering offences are controlled by well-structured criminal networks who risk the safety of the public by selling poor quality counterfeit products, often attempting to pass them off as genuine.”

The searches were conducted by the An Garda Síochána Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) Intellectual Property and Counterfeit Investigations Unit, and the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT), assisted by the National Criminal Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI).

The suspected counterfeit items are now subject to examination, and no arrests have been made at this time.

Gardaí said investigations are ongoing.