Fake luxury goods dealers are back with a vengeance along Canal Street, frustrated residents have told The Post.
The crackdown on the region’s burgeoning trade in high-end counterfeit goods has suffered – but not harmed – the illicit industry, with retailers still on sale selling $150 “Nike” sneakers, $150 “Rolex” watches, “Louis Vuitton” for $140. $35 “Gucci” bags and hats The Post found on a recent visit.
And sidewalk shows not only saturate the Canal, but have expanded to surrounding venues in lower Manhattan.
“Today there are more illegal sales than ever…almost every square inch of the sidewalk between Broadway and the Church is roofed in counterfeit goods,” Frederick Kinney wrote in the letter a petition signed by greater than 1,000 people calling for officials to scrub the canal. “IMPROVEMENT? THIS IS FALSE NEWS!!!”
“Crowds of people selling fake stuff is completely illegal and is polluting people and making walking on Canal Street intimidating and uncomfortable,” agreed Richard Kurtz. “Police have been useless in coping with this problem that has been present in our neighborhood for years.”
Patrick Valentino called the brazen trade “a slap in the face to other businesswomen and men who follow the foundations and grow to be very dangerous for pedestrians. I do not envy anyone making a living. I do it once they do it on the expense of others.”
One other resident snapped, “I wish I could cross Canal Street and truly make it to the curb on the opposite side.”
A tourist who said her name was Lily knew from Jump Street that the merchandise was fake.
“The gold in the brand is barely cut off, and inside you possibly can see that the brand is inverted,” she said of one wallet.
Nicole Oshay, 21, can have been from Nashville, but she wasn’t a ruby. After some negotiation, she obtained a counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbag for $70.
Supervision of the sellers changed into a game of batting a mole.
In August, the NYPD’s massive sting yielded as much as $2 million in counterfeit branded goods on Canal Street near Broadway. However the fake traders reappeared in the identical area inside just a few months.
In November, cops seized greater than $10 million in “exclusive” counterfeit goods while searching counterfeit handbags, sneakers and other illegal goods on Canal Street. The raid led to 17 arrests, and dishonest sellers faced the very best charge of trademark counterfeiting for greater than $1,000, which is a felony in the state, department chief Jeffrey Maddrey said.
This week, two officers handled illegal transactions, and one even punched a salesman. “We’re here to be present,” said one of the cops.
“We do not disturb anyone. We do not sell drugs. Nothing of the type,” insisted one vendor named Pop.
“Do you realize how many individuals got here to the country in the last yr or two once they opened the border?” the vendor, who hails from West Africa, indignantly. “Meaning fewer jobs. I’ll let you know truthfully. The explanation we do it’s since it’s the most effective job.”
The vendor didn’t need to say where he buys the products.
He told Pop, “They need to buy, they buy. We should not forcing anyone to purchase.”
“Fifth Precinct staff usually enforces trademark counterfeiting laws along the Canal Street Corridor,” the NYPD said, adding, “The officer in charge will proceed to watch the state and conduct enforcement.”