Who:
Los Angeles Police Department, Commercial Crimes Division, Fraud Section

What:
News Conference

When:
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
11:00 a.m.

Where:
Dependable Distribution Center
2555 E. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles

Los Angeles: On Wednesday November 5, 2003, the Los Angeles Police Department, Commercial Crimes Division (CCD), Fraud Detectives served a search warrant on two locations that were alleged to be selling/distributing counterfeit clothing. A total of 30,995 articles of finished clothing with an estimated value of $2,264,140, were seized and one arrest was made.

On Thursday, November 6, 2003, CCD Detectives conducted a surveillance of persons suspected of selling/distributing clothing taken in a recent hijack. Their investigation led them to a factory in South Los Angeles that was manufacturing counterfeit clothing. Detectives executed a search warrant on the location and two arrests were made. A total of 4,658 articles of clothing with an estimated value of $200,000 were seized.

This seizure was significant because over 260,000 items used to manufacture the counterfeit clothing were confiscated. These items included labels, buttons, hangtags and patches.

Counterfeit merchandise is not just theft from corporations. The consumer has no recourse when these products fail to meet their standards, turn out to be defective or cause harm to the consumer.

For additional information, please contact CCD Fraud Section, Detectives John D. Rodriguez or Eugene Arreola, at 213-485-3785.

This press release was prepared by Public Information Officer Sandra Escalante, Media Relations Section, 213-485-3586.