ROWLETT, Texas - Rowlett police seized more than 62,000 counterfeit luxury items and arrested a man for allegedly selling the items on Facebook Live.
What we know:
Police said their investigation began in February after they received a tip about counterfeit merchandise being sold on Facebook Live in Rowlett.
The tip was from a private investigator representing brands like Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Coach, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada.
"We started doing surveillance on the home, the location. And on February 17th, we were able to conduct a traffic stop on a male that was leaving the house with 29 boxes in the bed of the truck. He was very, very cooperative. He opened the boxes for the patrol officers showing the false purses. At that point, he was interviewed here. He confessed that he and his wife were selling counterfeit purses that they were getting from outside the country," said Rowlett Police Det. Cruz Hernandez.
Officers arrested Orlando Gonzalez Marcella on charges of trademark counterfeiting.
By the numbers:
In all, police said they found five storage units filled with counterfeit goods. They seized a total of 62,694 items, $208,000 in cash, and one vehicle.
On the street, the merchandise was worth nearly $1 million. If the shoes, purses, and watches were authentic, they’d be worth more than $101 million.
What they're saying:
"Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime," said Rowlett Police Chief Michael Denning. "Operations like this deceive consumers, harm legitimate businesses, and often fund broader criminal activity. We are proud of the work our detectives and partner agencies did to shut this operation down."
"Understand that if you get caught selling fake products then you're going to be prosecuted and you're also going to get get arrested and you could go to jail," added Det. Hernandez.
What's next:
Police are still searching for Marcella's wife, Aida Karina Lopez Alvarez.
The couple could face five to 99 years in prison if convicted of the first-degree felony offense.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Rowlett Police Department.