Assault Weapons & Counterfeit Vape Products Arrest Announcement NR21036ml

February 8, 2021

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles
Police Department’s Commercial Crimes Division, Illicit
Pharmaceutical and Counterfeit Unit (IPCU), served a search warrant
for counterfeit goods on the 500 block of Towne Avenue, at a
downtown Los Angeles warehouse.

Detectives observed a manufacturing and distribution operation for
counterfeit vape that included several well-known brands. During
the search, IPCU Detectives also confiscated three illegal assault
weapons with one of them described as a “Ghost Gun” which lacks
serial numbers or origin.

The seized counterfeit items included over 662,809 imitation hats,
beanies, t-shirts, footwear and video games in violation of
recorded and registered trademarks. If genuine, the seized
merchandise would have had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested
retail price (MSRP) of $7,101,164.00.

A total of three suspects were arrested for illegal assault weapons
and counterfeiting.

The purchase of counterfeits products may be hazardous to your
health. Manufacturers of counterfeit products are not beholden to
the same rigorous materials and testing standards.

In order to prevent the risk of buying counterfeit, only buy from
authorized vendors and directly from the manufacturers, and do your
due diligence when researching the names and places of origin of
your vape product suppliers.

Anyone with information regarding counterfeit crimes are asked to
contact Commercial Crimes Detectives at (213) 486-6940. During
non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to
1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain
anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to
www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit
www.lapdonline.org and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the
“Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip.
Lastly, tipsters may also download the “P-3 Tips” mobile
application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their
local program.