Local Police in Marbella have seized more than 18,000 items so far this year in an operation against illegal street trading.
The councillor for Citizen Security, José Eduardo Díaz, stressed that ‘there has been a marked increase since 2023 and is the result of intensive work carried out by Local Police in Marbella, working closely with the National Police’. He pointed out that ‘in 2023 a total of 19,200 items were seized, so the prediction is that the growth when the year ends will be in the region of 5 percent.’ He also said that the number of arrests had also seen an important increase, going from 10 people to a total of 24 in the first three quarters of the year.
All towns seeing marked increase in counterfeit goods
Díaz explained that ‘this form of commerce is prohibited by municipal laws, and they have been suffering like all tourist cities, and it mainly affects tourist areas,’ but emphasised that ‘the phenomenon goes well beyond the city itself and requires a greater effort on behalf of central government and customs.’
The councillor pointed out that the Prevention Unit of the Local Police force, made up of thirty officers, is in charge of carrying out this type of intervention through operations.
In addition, he said, ‘the seized goods, most usually are bags, belts, counterfeits of high-end watches, and this year in particular, a boom in football shirts due to the celebration of the World Cup,’ and clarified, ‘they are deposited in municipal warehouses and, between three and four times a year, they are sent to the Casares waste disposal plant to be destroyed’.
