Officials crack down on counterfeit items

McALLEN —More than 110,000 counterfeit items valued at approximately $1.4 million were seized locally as part of an international crackdown on copyright infringement.
The crackdown was part of Operation Holiday Hoax II, an international enforcement effort that targeted the sale and importation of counterfeit and pirated goods, according to information released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The operation was led by ICE, working in coordination with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center and went on for about six weeks in 66 U.S. cities, 55 Mexican cities and in Seoul, South Korea, where authorities tracked down distribution centers and their operators.
Operation Holiday Hoax netted 327,000 counterfeit items valued at more than $76.8 million.
“This year’s Holiday Hoax was a result of the close partnership with the governments of Mexico and South Korea,” said ICE Director John Morton. “Together we have dealt a significant blow to counterfeiters worldwide.”
In Mexico, authorities worked with the Tax Administration Service (SAT).
“SAT will continue to support joint strategies to leverage our detection capabilities of international criminal networks,” director Alfredo Gutierrez said.
Locally, ICE agents worked with Alton Police as they targeted various locations, arresting three individuals and seizing a large number of items that included counterfeit cologne, counterfeit contact lenses, counterfeit clothes and purses, pirated movies, CD burners and other computer equipment, ICE spokeswoman Nina Pruneda said.