On Monday, August 25, a large-scale operation to combat illegal sales of counterfeit goods took place in the Catalan town of Roses (Girona). The operation involved 250 officers from various law enforcement agencies, including the Guardia Civil, regional police Mossos d’Esquadra, National Police, and local units.
During the raid, nearly 26,000 counterfeit items were discovered and seized, including clothing, footwear, bags, and watches from well-known global brands. The total value of the confiscated goods is estimated at around 4 million euros. The operation was the result of a long-term investigation that began earlier in the summer, when police identified several properties used as warehouses for storing and distributing counterfeit products.
Authorities established that goods from these warehouses were distributed along the Santa Margarita promenade, where counterfeit items were being openly sold along more than half a kilometer of the seafront. As a result of the searches, four storage sites were dismantled: two apartments and two garages with utility rooms that held the main stocks of illegal merchandise.
During the operation, a 53-year-old man from Senegal was detained on suspicion of organizing the supply, storage, and sale of counterfeit goods. Another 25 individuals linked to the group’s activities were summoned to give statements. According to police, all of them are originally from sub-Saharan African countries.
The investigation found that the group members acted in coordination: every day they transported and distributed goods using passenger cars and vans. At the time of the arrest, large batches of products already prepared for sale were found in the vehicles. It was also established that part of the goods was sent to other regions of Spain.
In total, during the searches, 25,074 units of counterfeit clothing and accessories were seized, along with €18,940 in cash, 774 logos for marking products, six vehicles, and equipment used for transporting and selling counterfeit goods.
Within its authority, the National Police also initiated administrative proceedings against eight people found in Spain without the necessary documents.
According to law enforcement, this operation dealt a significant blow to the illegal counterfeit trade in Roses. The city, located on the Costa Brava coast, has long been considered one of the centers for street sales of counterfeit goods in Catalonia. Local residents and business owners have repeatedly expressed concern about the scale of this phenomenon, which has persisted for many years.
