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The Week in Germany: Current Affairs

November 16, 2006

Product Pirates Busted Big Time in Hamburg

Customs officials in Germany's biggest port seized more than 383 million euros ($490 million) worth of pirated product in a crackdown disclosed Tuesday, dpa reported.

The fake goods were found in 117 containers that arrived in Hamburg from Asia since September, said Horst Kallenbach, head of the city's finance department. "This is the biggest operation of its kind against product piracy," said Kallenbach. "It's not over yet, we're continuing to investigate."

The seizure brings to almost 500 million euros the value of fake goods found in Hamburg's port this year - more than double the amount for all of 2005.

Customs officials stumbled on the goods while looking for smuggled cigarettes. Most of the products were copies of Nike, adidas and Puma sneakers, but there were also imitation Rolex watches, Disney articles, textiles and toys.

The goods were destined for Austria, Hungary and Italy, according to Sabine Heise, head of the Hamburg Customs Investigation Department.

All the confiscated products were destroyed, said Heise. The sneakers were shredded and will be used as material for composite surfaces in sports grounds, she added.

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