article_detail
Date Published: 20/05/2025
Video! Police bust major fake designer goods ring in Málaga
49 arrested and more than 24,000 counterfeit items seized in large-scale operation backed by Europol
🚩La @policia, con la colaboración de @Europol y Policía Local de #Málaga, ha desarticulado una red que distribuía ropa de lujo falsificada
— Policía Nacional (@policia) May 19, 2025
🚔49 detenidos
👕7 toneladas de ropa incautadas
➡️24.000 artículos falsos
💶380.000 €
🪙500 monedas antiguas falsificadas de… pic.twitter.com/YP1djQ7uQ2
A major counterfeiting operation in Málaga has been brought down by police, with 49 people arrested and more than 24,000 fake luxury items seized in a coordinated raid on the Guadalhorce industrial estate.
The crackdown was led by Spain’s National Police, working alongside Málaga Local Police, the Labour Inspectorate, and Europol. In total, more than 130 officers took part in the operation, which involved inspecting dozens of premises suspected of dealing in counterfeit designer goods.
The investigation began back in March, when police received information about the manufacture and distribution of fake luxury items across the province. Officers quickly identified a network of wholesale warehouses operating out of Guadalhorce, which were supplying hundreds of street vendors and shopkeepers selling the goods in tourist areas across Málaga.
According to the police, these businesses were openly selling counterfeit clothing, accessories, leather goods, and other items from well-known international brands. Many of the products were intended to reach popular holiday hotspots along the Costa del Sol.
A total of 31 industrial warehouses were inspected during the operation. Alongside the tens of thousands of fake items, authorities also found 383,000 euros in cash and other foreign currencies, and 500 fake antique collector coins. These are now being examined further as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police say those arrested are facing charges relating to offences against industrial property. A statement from the authorities described the dismantled network as a significant supplier for hundreds of small retailers across the province.
The operation highlights the scale of the counterfeit goods trade in the region and the organised networks that support it. Investigations into the origins of the goods and further distribution links are continuing.
Image & Video: Policía Nacional/X (Twitter)
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Spanish News Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268