Malaysian authorities have arrested six foreign workers, including a Bangladeshi, in a raid on a counterfeit FIFA World Cup football jersey operation in Kuala Lumpur.
The enforcement operation was carried out Friday evening by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, targeting a warehouse and four retail outlets in the Jalan Petaling area. Several workers tried to flee but were quickly detained.
Authorities seized 5,403 suspected fake football jerseys with an estimated value of 270,150 ringgit, or around 63,000 U.S. dollars.
Officials said those arrested include citizens of Bangladesh and Myanmar, including one woman, all between the ages of 20 and 30. Investigators believe they were employed by a local syndicate to sell the counterfeit merchandise.
According to investigators, local customers paid about 50 ringgit for each jersey, while foreign tourists were charged more than 100 ringgit for the same items.
The raid also uncovered printing equipment used to customize jerseys with players’ names and numbers. Authorities believe the syndicate sold up to 100 counterfeit jerseys a day during the World Cup season, earning as much as 5,000 ringgit daily.
Investigators are now working to identify the syndicate’s operators and other individuals involved, while urging the public to report any information on counterfeit goods being sold in the area.