The news follows a team of officers led by the Phuket Isoc branch conducting raids on fake goods vendors in key tourist areas in Patong and at Central Phuket this week.
The raids, led by Phuket Isoc Deputy Director Capt Boworn Phromgaewngam, began when the team arrived in Patong at 1pm on Wednesday (Dec 12).
The officers targeted vendors along both Thaweewong Rd and Bangla Rd.
In total, the team arrested 11 vendors and seized 468 items, mostly copy-makes of shoes, hats and shirts of popular brand-names such as Gucci, Adidas, Nike and Under Armour.
The seized goods and the suspects were handed over to the Patong Police, who were not involved in the raids, for processing.
At 2pm the team arrived at Central Phuket Festival building, where officers arrested three people operating nine stalls.
In making the arrests the officers seized 372 items, all mobile phone cases.
In total, the raids netted 14 suspects and 840 items of counterfeit goods.
Capt Boworn estimated the value of the goods seized at about B100,000.
“This is the first step against the vendors fake products in the Phuket area,” Capt Boworn told The Phuket News.
“The Department of Intellectual Property will call the owners of the properties where the goods were being sold in soon to repeat to them to not allow such vendors to operate on their properties,” he explained.
“This will be especially for owners of shops and stall sites in Patong, Kata-Karon and at the Naka Night Market (the ‘Weekend Market’ near Wat Naka, in Wichit),” Capt Boworn noted.
“If the property owners keep allowing fake goods to be sold on their properties they will face charges,” he warned.
Additional repoertnig by Tanyaluk Sakoot