Customs officers raid two shops in Paphos

Police officers and customs officials raided at least two business establishments on Monday in Paphos, where suspected counterfeit designer goods have been confiscated.

Cyprus police said a joint operation between law enforcement and customs in Paphos ended up with the confiscation of over 1600 goods believed to be replicas of known commercial brands.

The raid took place in two different shops where items of clothing, handbags, wallets, and hats believed to be counterfeit goods were confiscated.

But an official police report did not say whether confiscated items included knockoffs, which may be legal but still challenged in a court of law.

National law enforcement authorities in many countries believe smuggling and counterfeiting activates may be linked to other crimes including serious offences such as illicit drugs, money laundering and corruption.

But there has been little debate on knockoffs being sold in Cyprus regarding the legal status of those goods as well as whether any violations are linked to organized or other crime.

Cyprus police have been taking a more active approach recently towards combating intellectual property theft on the island.