SPAIN FAKE SHAMPOO CRACKDOWN SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON EXTENT OF ILLICIT INDUSTRY
February 1st, 2016
A recent crackdown on a counterfeit shampoo factory in Spain has shone a spotlight on a burgeoning and problematic underground illicit industry, operating across Europe with links to criminal gangs, money-laundering and terrorism.
A 2013 study by European Union’s (EU) trademarks and designs agency the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) says counterfeit cosmetics and perfumes in the EU netted EUR4.7 billion (USD 5.2 billion) in sales on average between 2008 and 2011. That is 7.8% of the industry’s sales – although it does not issue ...
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