Hong Kong customs has seized 12 boxes of mooncakes in counterfeit gift boxes bearing the labels of designer brands and arrested an online seller in the run-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival.
A source familiar with the matter said on Thursday it was the first customs operation in which authorities seized counterfeit boxes of multiple well-known luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton containing mooncakes and tableware.
The insider said a 21-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of selling two fake gift boxes to customs officers posing as online consumers.
After placing the online orders, a meeting to hand over the goods was arranged. Officers then met the woman and arrested her.
They later found another 10 boxes bearing the forged trademarks in her flat in Southern district of Hong Kong Island.
Without naming the brands involved, Senior Inspector Liu Man-chun of customs' intellectual property investigation bureau said: "One of the brands mainly sells leather products and clothing. Information from the copyright owner indicates they do not design or produce such mooncakes or tableware."
He said each counterfeit box of the mooncakes and kitchenware was being offered at between HK$600 (2,600 baht) and HK$800, adding that the entire haul would have sold for HK$10,000.
The woman was one of two online sellers of mooncakes labelled with counterfeit brands arrested in an operation by customs to combat the sale of fake festive goods carried out between Aug 28 and Sept 9.
The other alleged online seller was a 30-year-old woman who was accused of selling knock-off mooncakes carrying the label of the catering company Maxim's.
Customs officers posed as buyers, placed online orders and arrested her during a face-to-face transaction on Monday. Officers seized 14 boxes of lava custard mooncakes bearing the Maxim's brand, but which were not produced by the caterer.
The senior inspector said the fraudulent version were being offered at HK$220 per box, or 70% of the price of the genuine article.
Liu said the bogus goods imitated the packaging and printing of the genuine Maxim's product. But while the latter had a best-before date of Sept 27 or Oct 17, the expiry dates for the fake mooncakes varied.
He also pointed out that the word "magical" printed on the top of the fake boxes was incorrectly spelled as "magieal".
Liu added that samples of the mooncakes would be taken to a government laboratory for testing to determine whether they were harmful.
During the two-week operation, customs officers also arrested another three people and seized more than 540 counterfeit lanterns worth HK$7,000 in three retail shops in Tuen Mun and Yuen Long.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, anyone who sells goods bearing a forged trademark faces a jail term of up to five years and a HK$500,000 fine.
Liu said investigations into the origin of the counterfeit products were ongoing and further arrests were possible.
"With the Mid-Autumn Festival around the corner, customs will continue to step up inspections and enforcement to combat the sale of counterfeit festive food items and goods," he said.
He also urged consumers to purchase goods from reputable vendors. The festival falls on Tuesday.