Thailand aids huge fake-goods seizure
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Thailand aids huge fake-goods seizure

Thai authorities cooperated with more than a half-dozen Asian and European countries in an operation that resulted in the seizure of more than 1.2 million forged goods and 130 million cigarettes over two weeks, the European Commission announced Monday.

The items, including fashion accessories, perfumes, toys, car parts and electrical items, were found during checks carried out on hundreds of containers arriving in Europe by sea.

The operation, coordinated by the EU's anti-fraud bureau OLAF, also involved Thailand, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia, among others.

The European Union's executive said the smuggled cigarettes alone had a value of 25 million euros ($32.3 million) in unpaid customs duties and taxes. Overall, the genuine equivalents of the products seized would be worth more than 65 million euros, the commission said.

"Counterfeit goods defraud consumers, harm legitimate businesses and cause huge losses to public revenues," said EU Tax Commissioner Algirdas Semeta, adding, "Counterfeit cigarettes also undermine public health policies."

It was organized under the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting, ahead of a summit of Asian and European leaders in Milan, Italy later this month.

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