Toulouse: Counterfeit traffickers avoid prison
Two men aged 36 and 38 have just been tried by the Toulouse criminal court. Their lawyers allowed them not to go back to detention.
Burberry jackets, Louis Vuitton bags, Ralph Lauren t-shirts… two men aged 36 and 38 had to explain themselves to the criminal court at the end of the week for importing counterfeits.
The duo had organized a well-established traffic for many weeks until customs officers at Toulouse-Blagnac airport stopped them returning from their trip, on October 21, with suitcases full of clothes and cartons of cigarettes. They delivered to land a flight from Frankfurt after a stay in Turkey. There, as usual, they had ordered a batch of counterfeit designer clothes for €700.
Once the items were collected from the wholesaler, they intended to resell them for €2,000, in particular in a store that is well established in the center of Toulouse. They also offered their services on the networks with delivery by hand in Toulouse and within forty-eight hours in mainland France.
The customs fine withdrawn
Customs had revealed the amount of items found both in their suitcases and during searches. The originals are said to have sold for nearly €170,000.
The two men have just been judged. The prosecutor requested against the youngest, defended by Mes Alexandre Parra-Bruguière and Sarah Nabet-Claverie, 18 months in prison with a warrant and a €120,000 customs fine. Me Parra-Bruguière’s arguments enabled his client to avoid the customs fine and not return to prison. He was sentenced to six months’ house arrest and a twelve-month suspended sentence. He will have to pay a fine of €35,000.
The prosecution had requested 18 months in prison with probation against his accomplice, assisted by Me Joris Morer. His sentence was reduced to 10 months with probation.