Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department announces it arrests six people over an alleged scheme to smuggle and sell counterfeit FIFA World Cup merchandise online. Authorities say the crackdown, codenamed “Clean Sheet,” runs from May 26 to Wednesday and targets 29 suspected smuggling cases and five online sales cases involving World Cup-related goods. The department estimates the seized items have a market value of HK$156 million (about US$20 million). Investigators seize around 230,000 suspected counterfeit products, including jerseys and other fan merchandise. Several outlets report the goods are highly detailed and in some cases difficult to distinguish from authentic team shirts. Officials say the merchandise is intended for overseas markets, with most shipments directed to the Americas. Police are not said to have laid out full case details beyond the arrests and seizure totals, and outlets characterize the operation as occurring shortly before the tournament begins.
Hong Kong customs arrests six, seizes HK$156 million in counterfeit World Cup merchandise
Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department announces it arrests six people over an alleged scheme to smuggle and sell counterfeit FIFA World Cup merchandise online. Authorities say the crackdown, codenam...
- Hong Kong Customs arrests six people over alleged counterfeit World Cup merchandise smuggling and online sales.
- Customs says the operation, codenamed “Clean Sheet,” runs from May 26 to Wednesday.
- Authorities estimate the seized counterfeit goods are worth HK$156 million (about US$20 million).
- About 230,000 suspected fake items are seized, including jerseys that appear close to authentic.
- Officials say the goods are destined for overseas markets, with shipments mainly to the Americas.
HONG KONG (AP) — Just hours before the World Cup kicked off, Hong Kong authorities announced they seized 230,000 suspected counterfeit items worth an estimated $20 million, including jerseys tied to the tournament.
2 months agoAll were destined for overseas markets, with nearly 80% set to be shipped to the Americas, where the World Cup is being jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
2 months agoThe World Cup is due to get underway in Mexico City on Thursday
2 months agoThe seizure included about 30,000 jerseys, some so finely made that they're hard to distinguish from authentic team shirts.
2 months agoHong Kong Customs has arrested six men and seized suspected counterfeit football products worth HK$156 million ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, including “highly authentic-looking” player-edition jerseys. Around 230,000 suspected fake items were seized in an operation codenamed “Clean Sheet,” which ran from May 26 to Wednesday, authorities said on Thursday – hours before […]
2 months agoSome counterfeit jerseys were so finely made that they were hard to distinguish from authentic team shirts.
2 months ago
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