A months-long investigation culminated in a raid that seized $7 million in knockoff Apple and Samsung phones Thursday night in Brooklyn, police said. Police raided two Gravesend warehouses, one at 203 Highlawn Ave. and the other at 2172 Coney Island Ave., and discovered 31,000 phones in cardboard boxes and $71,000 in cash.
“These products are dangerous. They are not what the manufacturer produced in a safe manner,” Chief Brian McCarthy of NYPD’s Criminal Enterprise Division said in a statement.
The investigation began earlier this year after customs officers discovered suspicious packages funneling through JFK International Airport.
The counterfeit products were sent from the warehouses to several stores and sold to customers,according to NBC4.Police did not identify theshop locations. Three unidentified men were arrested in connection to the knockoff operation.
NYPD seizes $7 million worth of counterfeit Apple, Samsung smartphones in Brooklyn raids https://t.co/bk2kOwUGbd @RayVilleda @nbcnewyork pic.twitter.com/ID5pBw7Zx4
— New York City Alerts (@NYCityAlerts) December 2, 2016
