Police Seize Counterfeit Goods and Illegal Vapes in Piaseczno Raid

Warsaw police have arrested a 34-year-old Indian national in Jabłonowo after discovering over 3,000 counterfeit items and 1,700 illicit electronic cigarettes lacking mandatory Polish excise tax stamps in local warehouses.

The Raid and Discovery

Officers from the Warsaw Metropolitan Police’s Economic Crime Division conducted an operation in the Piaseczno district targeting the distribution of illegal goods. During the surveillance of a warehouse in Jabłonowo, police observed a suspect loading a carton into a vehicle, leading to an immediate intervention.

Upon searching the site and the vehicle, authorities recovered over 1,700 electronic cigarettes filled with more than 90,000 milliliters of nicotine liquid. Additionally, they seized over 3,000 counterfeit consumer goods, including electronics, leather accessories, and clothing bearing unauthorized trademark logos.

Financial Impact and Charges

The total excise tax evasion is estimated at nearly 400,000 PLN, while the losses incurred by the companies whose trademarks were infringed upon are valued at approximately 3 million PLN. The suspect allegedly sold these illicit goods at a stall in the Wólka Kosowska night market.

The 34-year-old man faces charges under the Industrial Property Law for introducing counterfeit goods to the market and for the illegal sale of excise goods. He also faces scrutiny for using a forged driver’s license during a separate traffic stop in early June. He faces up to five years in prison.