Hit the scene | The headquarters has been checked for 5 years and has been frequented by international stars...... A pair of sneakers led to a big case of 80 million yuan

2023-04-29

The reporter learned from the press conference held today by the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Bureau on "Strengthening the Criminal Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Helping to Optimize and Improve the Business Environment" that recently, the Luqiao Branch of the Public Security Bureau of Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province detected a large cross-border production and sale of counterfeit well-known brand sneakers, which involved 46 people and took criminal coercive measures against 38 people, and the amount involved was as high as more than 8,000 yuan. At present, all the persons involved in the case have been transferred to the procuratorate for examination and prosecution.

A pair of sneakers led to a big case, and the police "peeled off the cocoon" to find the truth

On November 29, 2021, the Luqiao Branch of the Taizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau received a report from the public that he was suspected of buying fake shoes from a well-known foreign sports brand.

"At first, we thought it was just an ordinary case of making and selling counterfeit shoes, and we went with the attitude of quick investigation and quick cracking. Unexpectedly, the more I checked, the more shocked I became, and even international stars patronized it. Wang Chengan, a police officer of the Food and Drug Ring Brigade of the Luqiao Branch of the Taizhou Public Security Bureau, said.

After the police sent the shoes to the sports brand company for professional identification, they found that the fake shoes were produced by the counterfeit manufacturer who had been searching for 5 years at their company's headquarters, but had not been able to find the source. As a result, the staff of the sports brand immediately rushed to Luqiao to connect with the police about the specific situation of the case.

Through the tracking and analysis of capital flow, network flow, and logistics, the police gradually clarified the company's basic structure, division of labor, production and marketing methods, and other information, and a criminal gang led by Huang that produced and sold counterfeit well-known brand sneakers slowly surfaced.

The police found that the company involved in the case had a formal business license, shoes and socks, insoles, etc., but the transaction volume was very small, and it was usually in a loss-making state. "In recent years, the protection of domestic intellectual property rights has been increasing, and the criminal gang has shifted its main sales market from domestic to overseas, and attracted target customers through overseas social software, short videos, etc., and then used other methods to communicate product prices, guide orders, and buy fake shoes, and finally, the criminal gang legalized illegal property through various means, and finally flowed back to their accounts." Chen Peng, captain of the Food and Drug Ring Brigade of the Luqiao Branch of the Taizhou Public Security Bureau, told reporters.

46 criminal suspects were arrested across provinces

After careful investigation, the police identified two cross-border sales studios of the criminal gang in Wuhan, Hubei Province and Putian, Fujian Province, and accurately grasped the clues and prepared to carry out the arrest operation.

Under the deployment of the Ministry of Public Security, the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Department, the Taizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, and other public security organs at all levels, the people's police of the special case group were divided into six groups and went to Putian, Fujian, and Wuhan, Hubei, to carry out a centralized and unified network collection operation.

2022年7月6日，经过长时间蹲点抓捕，民警共抓获犯罪嫌疑人46人，捣毁生产窝点2处、仓储2处，外贸销售窝点2处，国际物流公司2家，网络运维工作室1处，现场查扣假冒国外知名运动品牌成品鞋1800余双，鞋材5万余个，涉案资金高达8000余万元。

The reporter learned at the press conference that in 2022, the public security organs of Zhejiang Province will carry out in-depth special operations such as "Kunlun" and "Deep Blue", and investigate and handle a total of 842 cases of counterfeit registered trademarks, 64 cases of copyright infringement, and 7 cases of infringement of trade secrets, and arrest 1,417 criminal suspects, effectively safeguarding the intellectual property rights and interests of more than 1,000 major enterprises, recovering economic losses of 450 million yuan, effectively deterring infringement and illegal acts, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

(Reporter Yu Chen)