A consignment of illegal ink cartridges has been seized by Dubai police and seven people have been taken into custody.
As Gulf News reports, Dh3.2 million ($871,341/€745,451) of counterfeit printer ink cartridges have been confiscated from an apartment in Dubai’s Naif area, and seven suspects have been apprehended.
Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Mohammad Bin Hamad, deputy director of the Anti-Economic Crime Department, said, “We were alerted about fake HP ink packs being distributed in the market.”
Police promptly raided the apartment and took into custody the owner and six suspects, whom he had employed to pack the cartridges, which were designed to look like HP originals.
“They had been selling them in the local market and exporting them,” Lt-Col Bin Hamad said. “We seized fake cartridges worth Dh3.2 million ($871,341/€745,451). The suspects confessed to the crime and were referred to the Public Prosecution.”
Lt-Col Bin Hamad has urged members of the public to come forward and report any other instances of people selling suspected counterfeit products.
“It is a global trade that damages legitimate businesses. We conduct inspections in shops and industrial areas in Dubai and also raise awareness among the public. Combating economic crimes is very important as it affects the famous brands being sold here,” he explained.
HP has been famously dedicated when it comes to cracking down on the sale of counterfeit printing consumables in the region, and has assisted Dubai authorities on a number of occasions as well as helping to shut down counterfeiters in other nations, such as Nigeria and Kenya.
