Ajman: Ajman Police say they have made a huge seizure of counterfeit printer cartridges and components worth Dh147 million.
The details of the smashed counterfeit ring were revealed by Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, commander-in-chief of Ajman Police, in Ajman on Tuesday during a press conference held at the Ajman Police headquarters.
Computer giant HP International was tipped off by a few traders that people were selling counterfeit HP toners in Ajman. The vital information was relayed to Ajman Police, who followed up by forming a team to investigate.
Ajman Police raided two warehouses in Al Jurf area and two villa in Al Rawdha area in Ajman, which was used by the suspects to store their fake products. The products had entered to the country and were ready to be sold.
The raid uncovered around 2 million counterfeit cartridges.
The counterfeit goods were intended to be circulated in UAE markets.
Three Chinese people were involved in the illegal operation and they are on the run. Ajman Police informed the Interpol about the suspects to hand them over to Ajman Police.
The counterfeit goods were seized and will be destroyed.
HP representatives attended the press conference and thanked Ajman Police for their efforts.
The company thanked Ajman authorities for their swift action that led to the seizure of the counterfeit toners.
Brigadier Al Nuaimi said the battle against pirated products is not yet over as more efforts have to be made to help make the public aware about the negative impacts of using counterfeit products and to be knowledgeable in identifying fake products.
Ajman Police are, however, making it possible to combat the evils of counterfeiting.
The suspects face jail terms of less than one year and fines ranging between Dh5,000 and Dh10,000,
Brigadier Al Nuaimi said that Ajman Police held a meeting with Chinese businessmen when they opened a Dragon Mart in Ajman and explained to them that counterfeit products are prohibited under UAE law.
