Anti-counterfeiting arrests up as Shanghai clamps down

Police in Shanghai arrested 1,900 people in the first seven months of 2012 in a push to eliminate fake food, drink and other products.

Authorities began the anti-counterfeiting drive late in 2010 but arrests have ramped up this year. The number of arrests made in 2012 already exceeds the total for the first year of the campaign.

Cao Qianhua, assistant to the general captain of Shanghai Public Security Bureau's Economic Crime Investigation Department, told the Global Times newspaper police have seized counterfeit goods worth $47m this year.

The seizures were made in around 900 anti-counterfeiting cases. Police are targeting counterfeit food, beverages, drugs and luxury goods in the campaign. The policy has already claimed high-profile victories against counterfeiters of expensive wines such as Château Lafite Rothschild and children’s clothing brands including Disney products.

Closer monitoring is part of the effort. "We found evidence of the sale of counterfeit clothing in an online shop from doing regular checks online," said Chen Qi, a vice captain in Shanghai's Economic Crime Investigation Department.