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Buyer beware: Torrevieja police begin fining tourists who buy from street vendors
Undercover police officers will patrol the Costa Blanca city streets ready to sanction unsuspecting shoppers
For the second year running, Torrevieja City Council is threatening to fine holidaymakers up to 200 euros on the spot if they’re caught buying counterfeit goods from street sellers. Up and down the Costa Blanca, these unlicenced ‘manteros’ illegally flog everything from trainers and handbags to sunglasses, ‘designer’ watches and fake football kits at rock-bottom prices.
These sellers are known as manteros or top mantas because they usually ply their wares from on top of a blanket, or manta in Spanish.
The threat of fines last summer was a bit of a flop, and photos emerged of police patrols parked a few metres from the street vendors, who made not the slightest attempt to hide what they were doing. But this time around, the authorities are planning to cut them off at the source, and plain-clothes officers will be strolling the streets ready to pounce on unsuspecting shoppers.
Recently, the Guardia Civil seized several tonnes of counterfeit products from a warehouse in Elche that were destined for the streets of Torrevieja, a coup that “will be noticeable”, according to a regional government spokesperson. Nonetheless, tougher measures are needed to tackle the illegal trade, which is why buyers are being targeted.
For this project and others, the mayor of Torrevieja has once again requested that his police force be increased during the summer months, when the city’s population more than doubles to around 500,000 inhabitants.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja
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