Canal Street Crackdown Eight Arrests, $30M in Fake Goods Confiscated

The merchandise was a forgery. The busts were genuine. In the latest crackdown on Canal Street, the NYPD seized $30 million in counterfeit items and apprehended eight unlicensed street vendors.

The raid follows recent Post pieces detailing how the fraudulent businesspeople were back in full force and an exposé on how smugglers flood Canal Street with counterfeit stuff.

Police claimed they went after the vendors Thursday afternoon, taking a flurry of the usual imitation favorites: footwear, purses, watches, and bags.

The raid was carried out “in response to numerous community complaints,” according to the NYPD. Cops and illicit merchants are playing a cat-and-mouse game on Canal Street.

A major NYPD raid on Canal Street near Broadway in August 2022 collected up to $2 million in counterfeit designer products. However, the fraudulent peddlers reappeared in the same location within months.

In November, cops discovered over $10 million in “high-end” counterfeit items on Canal Street while searching for knock-off purses, footwear, and other illicit goods.

Canal Street Crackdown Eight Arrests, $30M in Fake Goods Confiscated

According to Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the raid resulted in 17 arrests, with the rogue vendors facing a top charge of trademark counterfeiting property exceeding $1,000, a felony in the state.

The eight vendors arrested on Thursday ranged in age from 33 to 50. The defendants are all facing trademark infringement charges, and several are also facing unlicensed vendor accusations. The NYPD was also accused of resisting arrest.

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