OVER 115,000 counterfeit luxury jewellery items with a total retail value of hundreds of millions of euros have been impounded after a Guardia Civil raid in Mallorca.
It was the biggest seizure of fake jewellery in the Balearic Islands and one of the largest-ever in Spain.
Officers swooped in mid-June on a warehouse located on the Son Castello industrial estate in Palma but details of the operation were only released on Tuesday.
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An investigation has been opened against four people for trading counterfeit goods.
Numerous businesses across the Balearic Islands were said to have been supplied by the warehouse.
The fake items were copies of designs of well-known international luxury jewellery brands.
115,535 pieces of counterfeit jewellery were seized- broken down into 38,493 bracelets, 35,994 pairs of earrings, 22,064 necklaces, 10,811 bracelets and 8,173 rings
All of the items were examined by specialists working for the jewellery brands- based in Madrid.
They confirmed the pieces if sold as genuine articles would have been worth hundreds of millions of euros, but it was anticipated that the merchandise would have retailed at lower ‘bargain’ prices to lure in buyers.
The Guardia Civil said that selling and buying counterfeit products causes significant economic damage to legitimate brands and shops that follow the law.
It also warned that the fakes lack the quality and safety controls required by European law, so wearing them can cause allergic reactions and other health risks to purchasers.
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