Customs dept seizes fake Barbie slides

The customs department on Friday announced it had seized over 10,000 counterfeit items during raids carried out on four properties in Protaras on Thursday night, among them a number of Barbie-branded slides.

The other items seized included counterfeit sportswear, clothing, underwear and toys, all of which were imitations of well-known brands.

In addition, it said it had seized a total of 242 packs of 20 cigarettes which had been brought to Cyprus without the requisite import taxes being paid.

The packs did not carry the usual health warning in both Greek and Turkish, nor other markings which allow customs officials to determine whether the packs have been imported legally.

The owners of all four properties reportedly admitted to their crimes, with three of the four already having paid fines amounting to a total of €2,475, with the fourth property’s fine still pending.

The latest raid comes hot on the heels of a similar raid in Ayia Napa which saw more than 3,000 counterfeit products, including football shirts, seized from three shops.

The shops’ owners admitted to their crimes and were fined a total of €4,280 between them, while also being charged €320 in total for the items’ destruction.

The customs department had at the time implored the public to “be particularly careful when purchasing products”, as there are “thousands of products on the market which are not authentic”.