On the first Sunday in September, Chilean footballer Alexis Sánchez sat on the bench of Inter Milan with the number 11 on his back. Four days after the match, the shirt had already been counterfeited and inspectors from the National Customs Service seized 30 of these items on Thursday night (05.09.2019) in the Chacalluta complex (Chile-Peru border), the agency reported.
The Regional Director of the Arica Customs Office, Osvaldo Osorio Iglesias, reported that the procedure was recorded at the truck inspection platforms. “During the inspection, the presence of two sacks inside a truck transporting vegetables from Tacna to Arica was confirmed. Upon reviewing the content, 115 shirts imitating Chilean and international sports clubs were found," the director said in the statement.
The cargo was transported by a woman of Peruvian nationality, who was accused of the crime of smuggling because the goods were not presented before the supervisory authority. “Failure to present or attempting to conceal merchandise constitutes the crime of smuggling described in Article 168 of the Customs Ordinance.”, Osorio explained.
Of the 115 shirts, 40 of them imitate the garments worn by footballers Esteban Paredes and Jorge Valdivia of Colo Colo, while 30 bear the number 11 that Alexis Sánchez would wear, in addition to 20 from the University of Chile and 25 from Real Madrid,
The value of the goods was estimated at $3.076.250 (US$ 4.272) and the person involved was warned.
Osorio Iglesias said that “This type of smuggling, associated with counterfeiting, seeks to copy or emulate articles and clothing that are in fashion with the aim of deceiving users. In this case, they made Alexis's No. 11 shirt, which was the one he initially wore, although it is now known that he will receive No. 7.".
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