Dubai Customs confiscate Dh72.6m worth of counterfeit goods

Counterfeit goods valued at Dh1.6 billion were seized in 2016 in raids by consumer protection officers. Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai Customs seized Dh72.6 million worth of counterfeit goods during 133 inspections in the first six months of this year.

The seized goods included electronic items, watches, glasses, clothing, fabrics, perfumes, cosmetics, medicines, medical equipment, tires, auto spare parts, telephones and accessories, computers and other imports.

The illegal merchandise was confiscated at Dubai Customs centres, which are equipped with advanced inspection equipment to efficiently guarantee the best results in controlling and seizing counterfeit products.

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"Intellectual property rights protection gains importance in the evolution of our national economy in the current stage, particularly with the UAE focusing on unleashing the spirit of creativity and innovation in government work and in society at large,” said Yousef Ozair Mubarak, director of IPR department at Dubai Customs.

"Accordingly, we put the protection of intellectual property rights on top of our priorities at Dubai Customs, and are working to improve the level of our performance in dealing with counterfeit goods, by providing the best levels of training to the staff and inspectors in the circuit, so as to enable them to detect counterfeiting and piracy efficiently, backed by the best innovations and technologies in the control and inspection field.”