$3 million fake goods bust

SYDNEY: A Sydney man's $400,000-a-year counterfeit clothing business lies in tatters following an unwelcome raid on his Peakhurst factory late last month.
Police and fake clothing investigation firm Global Brand Protection joined forces to investigate a Lorraine Street warehouse they believed was being used to store the clothing.
Once inside the warehouse, the group discovered nearly 20,000 fake designer jackets, shirts, jeans and pants, weighing about 18 tonnes and estimated to have a street value of almost $3 million.
Brands caught up in the raid included: Lonsdale, Ralph Lauren, Mossimo, Country Road, Gucci, Adidas, Diesel, G-Star, Mooks, Abercrombie and Fitch, DKNY and Hugo Boss.
A 37-year-old Chinese/Australian national, present during the raid, has been questioned by police and is continuing to assist with their enquiries.
GBP CEO John Rhodes said the agency had been working on the case since January however it had taken some time to locate where the factory was operating from. Once this had been confirmed, it was then a case of gaining access to the site.
It is believed the owner of the factory was operating stalls at Flemington and Fairfield and supplied several retail stores as well. It was this tie-in that eventually led to the discovery of the fake designer goods.
"This guy is earning $400,000 cash a year working all these major brands. [The raid] has allowed us to put a significant dent in his operations," Rhodes said.
However, while his company had already helped police seize more than $4 million in counterfeit goods since January, Rhodes warned it was nigh on impossible to stamp out the practice for good.
"For every one you knock out, another two step up."