Arlington raid reveals $650k worth of fake luxury goods

Arlington - Luxury brand logos from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Givenchy were among the thousands of counterfeit patches reportedly being produced and sold by an Arlington business, Dallas Metro News reported citing the local police department.

The Economic Crimes Unit seized a total of 101,118 individual items from Creo Piece, situated in an industrial building directly opposite the police headquarters on W. Division St. The tally took several days to complete.

Based on the online pricing for the patches, the police estimate the value of the confiscated items at $652,222, which includes a high-end embroidery machine and another machine used for making heat transfers that can be ironed onto clothing.

The high value of the merchandise led to the charge of trademark counterfeiting being upgraded to a first-degree felony against owner Oumar Dia, who was arrested in Dallas County on the charge over the weekend. He has since been released on bail.

Reached for comment at his business on Tuesday, Dia claimed that he sold the items to individual buyers for arts and crafts purposes, who were attracted by the popular logos. He denied any involvement in producing counterfeit bags, clothing or shoes and chose not to comment further without consulting his lawyer.

Any production of the trademarked logos though is illegal, according to Arlington Police Detective Richard Jablon.

"As long as he's manufacturing and selling it, knowing that this item is counterfeit, it doesn't matter who he sells it to," he said, as reported by CBS News Texas.

The discovery of the business's activities came after police received a tip from a person who works with companies to safeguard their trademarks.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, a video posted on the business's Instagram account showed an embroidery machine producing items bearing logos from Chanel and Givenchy. Additionally, an officer was able to personally purchase four patches from Dia.

Detective Jablon also contacted the Department of Homeland Security to inquire about the company and found that U.S. Customs and Border agents had intercepted three separate shipments addressed to Dia at his Dallas home in 2021 and 2022.

According to the affidavit, the items in these packages also infringed on intellectual property laws, with a retail value of more than $600,000. However, Dia did not respond to the seizure notice.

Credit: Dallas Metro News, CBS News, Arlington Police Department