In a successful operation that marks a record in Chile, the National Customs Service of Chile managed to seize in the Iquique port the largest shipment of counterfeit sunglasses recorded in the country to date. This is 84 thousand pairs of glasses that imitated designs from renowned international brands such as Oakley, Ray-Ban, Versace and Louis Vuitton, among others.
El Regional Director of the Iquique Customs, Cristian Molina Silva, explained that the shipment was intercepted thanks to the filters and risk profiles applied in the surveillance of goods originating from areas of high sensitivity in terms of counterfeit products. Coming from the port of Nansha, in the Chinese province of CantonThe container was destined for the Iquique Free Trade Zone, from where it was intended to be transported to Santiago.
"The container was selected while it was still en route, based on a risk analysis that allowed us to identify it as suspicious. Upon reaching Chilean territory, it was immediately separated and its consignees were summoned to proceed with the opening and verification of the contents," Molina Silva explained.
Economic impact and health risk
The container cargo manifest detailed the transport of 525 packages consisting of polyester blankets, wet towels and unbranded socks, with a declared value of USD42.224. However, during the physical inspection carried out by customs officers in Iquique, a considerable amount of contraband was discovered. 102.000 pairs of socks that imitated the Nike brand, 28.800 180 ml shampoo bottles imitating the Head & Shoulders brand, and 84.000 pairs of counterfeit sunglasses.
The Regional Director, Molina Silva, indicated that the total customs value of the seized merchandise amounted to $2.243.077, and that this smuggling operation represented a tax evasion estimated at $528 million pesos. Among the confiscated sunglasses were 14.400 counterfeit pairs of Oakley, 15.000 Ray-Ban, 7.200 Prada, 1.800 Hermes, 11.400 Louis Vuitton, 10.200 Versace, 1.800 Carrera, 7.200 Chanel, 9.600 Gucci and 5.400 Burberry.
The Director pointed out that, in addition to the legal actions for smuggling, the owners of the brands were notified to file the respective complaints. He also warned that this type of merchandise not only seeks to evade taxes, but also endangers the population, since counterfeit lenses do not adequately filter UV rays and respond to illicit markets, often associated with organized crime and other crimes.
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