![]() ![]() The cases of the vendors accused of selling phony merchandise in July are making their way through the legal system. Kevin Hoffman owner of the Pocono Bazaar in Marshalls Creek sent word through an assistant that he had no comment for this story. "People at the flea market need to be diligent about policing their vendors," Drobny said. On July 15, police seized at least two truckloads of products from Pocono Bazaar flea market merchants. "This organization had its hands in a slew of global criminal enterprises," New Jersey's U.S. Plus, the bad guys made arrangements to sell 100 pistols with silencers, 100 automatic submachine guns, 50 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 75 single-use anti-tank missiles, and 1,200 AK-47 assault rifles. currency, 45,000 ecstasy pills and 390 grams of methamphetamine. Sales of the smokes funded shady business deals like importing counterfeit U.S. The smuggling ring dabbled in more than cigarettes. In 2005, New Jersey officials arrested 44 people for handling 100 million counterfeit Marlboro and Newport cigarettes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is a billion-dollar tax-free industry, but workers toiling in far-off factories are not the ones getting rich. The short answer is usually China, although other countries also circulate copycat wares around the globe. Now you have a piece of junk that supports forced labor and terrorism." That $50 could have gone to a good Timex in the store. You buy a fake Rolex, it's a piece of junk. Zippo President and CEO Greg Booth put it in shocking perspective when he said: "The sale of Zippo counterfeits through the years has cost our company tens of millions of dollars and countless jobs."Īs Stuart Drobny explains it, "counterfeiting devalues the original items. The Zippo lighter company in Bradford was so burned by copies flooding out from four Chinese factories that the Pennsylvania company was forced to lay off more than 150 workers in 2006. When a company takes a hit from lost sales, employees pay the price. ![]() The bad batch of toothpaste was imported from Africa and was not affiliated with Colgate. The counterfeit Colgate contained no fluoride but may have had diethylene glycol, a brake fluid additive which is toxic to humans and animals. It can affect your health and your pocketbook.Ī Colgate look-alike was sold cheaply in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York Dollar Stores. Nearly every product manufactured can be counterfeited. Upon closer inspection, the label reads "Baby Catz."īad goods go way beyond flea market purses. A white purse with gold-printed cats looked like a pricey "Baby Phat" brand. Others had similar but obvious brand name changes. Some had tiny holes where the metal label had been pried off. They are either fake or stolen," said Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Chris Jones.Īnother Pocono Bazaar vendor had the same purse styles as the Prada a few tables down. If they are selling for $30, it wouldn't cover cost at wholesale. High-end purses at rock-bottom prices "raise an eyebrow. If you see them, it is either stolen or counterfeit," said Stuart Drobny, president of Stumar Investigations, the firm that investigated vendors in the July 15 bust. "Louis Vuitton, Prada, those items aren't ever sold at a flea market. Considering a genuine Prada will set you back $200 to $800, a "Prada" wallet and matching purse for $20 is a suspicious deal. They asked $25 for the pair, then tried to close the deal by knocking off another $5. They wanted $10 for it and produced a matching "Prada"-labeled purse to go with it. The two briefly conferred in another language, then said "yes," the wallet was real. When asked if a wallet was real Prada, a nervous vendor hesitated, then asked her partner to answer the question. Several booths had purses and wallets labeled "Prada." The brand's famous metal triangle was face down or hidden behind generic purses. A recent browse through Pocono Bazaar booths showed that vendors are still selling fakes, but are less blatant about displaying the brands. But that hasn't stopped the supply and demand for bogus goods in the Poconos.Ī July crackdown at the Pocono Bazaar flea market on the sale of counterfeit merchandise resulted in at least 10 arrests and the confiscation of phony purses, wallets, sunglasses, sneakers, music CDs and bootleg movies.ĭespite the arrests, it appears you can still buy a knockoff Prada purse for a song. The fake designer bag you bought at the flea market could be a link in the chain of organized crime, or even funding international terrorism. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |