The Civil Guard of the Las Palmas Command has arrested four people between the ages of 26 and 53 and a fifth has been investigated for the alleged commission of crimes against intellectual property, and/or being part of a criminal group and another crime against workers' rights.
This is the largest intervention developed in the Canary Islands of this type of product in which not only has the counterfeit material been seized but also the production machines to make these counterfeits, which were intended to be distributed in the Canary archipelago.
The investigation began in July 2025, following the inspection of several containers of clothing arriving on the island of Lanzarote. That first review led the agents to an industrial warehouse that, at first, raised suspicions and later turned out to be the epicenter of a complex counterfeiting network.
Inside this warehouse, located in the municipality of Arrecife, an industrial clothing factory was discovered dedicated to the production of counterfeit garments that reproduced logos and designs of recognized commercial firms. According to sources from the investigation, those involved had been developing this illicit activity for at least seven years, operating on a large scale and with an organized distribution system aimed at introducing the counterfeit merchandise into the market.
The criminal group imported large quantities of garments without commercial names from various wholesale companies located in the Cobo Calleja industrial estate in Fuenlabrada as well as from others in Parla or Alcobendas (Madrid). These garments arrived in containers by sea to the port of Los Mármoles in Arrecife. Once in Lanzarote, the Criminal group deposited the goods in the registered industrial warehouse where they also made the counterfeit garments.
In the course of the operation, the agents accessed the interior of the industrial warehouse where they located a complete network destined for the counterfeiting of garments and footwear. In the registry, ten direct ink printing plates, a thermal plate and two machines specialized in screen printing of shoes were seized, all connected to computers for the design and subsequent electronic reproduction of the logos of recognized commercial brands.
The discovery was not limited to industrial machinery. The researchers also seized a huge amount of logos, transfers and labels, ready to be applied to textile and sports products. Among the affected brands were some of the most relevant in the international market: Adidas, Nike, Puma, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, Armani, Balenciaga, Gucci, Versace, Fila and Tommy Hilfiger, among others.
Also, during the operation, nearly a thousand boxes containing garments prepared to be counterfeited were seized. According to the report prepared by the judicial experts present in the investigation, the value that these articles would have reached in the market, once put on sale to the public, was estimated at about eight million euros. In addition, the Civil Guard carried out three searches in homes and one in a store where counterfeit clothing, cash and computer equipment were seized.
The counterfeiting of garments causes reputational damage to the brands, since the low quality of the counterfeit products deteriorates consumer confidence, generating serious economic repercussions, such as the loss of jobs and millionaire sales for companies, and damage to the health of the consumer, due to the use of toxic dyes and fabrics.
Finally, counterfeiting also implies a legal risk for offenders, with prison sentences and fines, and a negative impact on the tourist image and competitiveness of the country.
The Labor and Social Security Inspection of Las Palmas has participated in the investigation through the appearance of a labor inspector to determine the existence of possible fraud against Social Security and infractions in labor matters by the members of the investigated criminal group.
The investigation remains open and new arrests are not ruled out.