As World Cup fever descends on Toronto, local police say they have seized the largest number of fake soccer jerseys in Canadian history.
At a news conference on Monday, Toronto police announced two arrests and said they had seized more than $3.5 million in counterfeit jerseys they said had been sold in stores from a warehouse in Mississauga.
Deputy Chief Robert Johnson said major events like the FIFA World Cup, which will host six matches in Toronto during June and July, tend to lead to a spike in fake sports memorabilia.
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Police said they had been warned about a warehouse allegedly filled with fake jerseys, flags and even World Cup trophies on May 12 and executed four search warrants on May 26.
As a result of those searches, officers arrested two men they believe had been selling counterfeit items to stores. Some of them, police said, had spelling mistakes on the tags.
“We believe these two men were running this scam for some time, selling to retail stores,” Supt. David Ecklund told reporters.
“It’s a crime of opportunity because they know people want to support their favourite team and will prey on that excitement. Often, the proceeds of this crime fuel organized crime, including human trafficking.”
Police urged anyone who thinks they’ve bought a counterfeit jersey to report it to police.
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