Macedonian Customs Seize Counterfeit Air Fresheners, Shoe Polish, Cell Phones

During regular controls at Macedonia’s border crossings in the period December 26, 2011 – January 15, 2012, the customs officials seized a considerable quantity of goods bearing well-known brand names, believed to be counterfeit.

In the week of December 26, 2011 – January 1, 2012 the customs officials seized 4,950 pine tree-shaped air fresheners. The air fresheners originated in Turkey and were discovered in the luggage of a Kosovo citizen.

On January 10, the officials at the Bogorodica border crossing, southern Macedonia, seized 43,200 35-ml cans of shoe polish bearing the mark of Ilirija, a Slovenian manufacturer of hair and skin care products, toiletries and cleaning products. The goods originated in China and were discovered in a truck with Macedonian license plates. The total market value of these goods is estimated at approximately EUR 24,500 (USD 31,400).

On January 13, the customs mobile units at the Alexander the Great Airport in the Macedonian capital Skopje thwarted an attempt to smuggle 770 cell phones, 240 of which are suspected of being counterfeit and bear the marks iPhone 4, HTC, Nokia, and Samsung. The goods were transported by two Kosovo citizens, holders of Serbian passports, and their market value is estimated at EUR 93,600 (USD 120,000).

In the week of January 9-15, the customs officials at the Blace border crossing, on the border with Kosovo, seized 250 sets of auto brakes bearing the mark of O-Pure VW, 20 women’s wallets bearing the mark of Louis Vuitton, 33,800 CDs and DVDs bearing the mark of Princo and two sets of speakers bearing the mark of Pioneer. The goods, which were found in a truck with Turkish license plates, originated in Dubai and were intended for the Kosovo market.

For more information, please contact Aleksandra Pavlovic at our Macedonia office.

Source: Macedonian Customs