Dubai police confiscate Dh9bn of counterfeit goods in five years

Officers step up action against trade in contrabrand

Dubai Customs officials inspect a consignment of goods, searching for counterfeit products. Wam

Dubai Customs officials pictured with counterfeit goods that were seized in September 2020. Courtesy: Dubai Customs

Captain Ahmed Al Kaabi from Abu Dhabi Police views counterfeit products on show during a workshop held by The Legal Group in Abu Dhabi in December 2019. Pawan Singh / The National

UAE government staff attend a workshop in Abu Dhabi to receive training on how to spot counterfeit products. Pawan Singh / The National

Cheap hardware products can be harmful and dangerous. Pawan Singh / The National

Police in Dubai have seized counterfeit goods worth a staggering Dh9.3 billion over the last five years.

The force revealed the figure on Monday and said officers investigated more than 2,000 cases of financial crime including commercial fraud, counterfeiting and forgery over the same period.

During the first half of this year alone, officers at the anti-counterfeit, anti-fraud and anti-commercial fraud and piracy sections dealt with 315 cases, involving 394 suspects. They also recovered goods worth more than Dh1.7bn.

“The department works around the clock to combat economic crimes and holds regular meetings with brands’ representatives to explore methods and tools to uncover counterfeit goods," said Brig Jamal Al Jallaf, director of the General Department of Criminal Investigations at Dubai Police.

Authorities have been stepping up efforts to clamp down on the counterfeit trade. Over the past few years, the UAE has intensified inspection campaigns and is using blockchain technology to prevent fraud and counterfeiting.

The UAE also signed several international treaties for the protection of copyright work, including the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement.

In March, authorities recovered almost 16,000 illegal or fake tobacco products and shisha oils worth Dh1.5 million.

More than 300,000 bogus filters, spark plugs and other engine parts were seized by officials in 2020.