Police raids seize counterfeit goods

Retailers are having a tough time this holiday season because of the recession, but stores in downtown L.A.’s Santee Alley got a bit of help over the weekend from police raids that led to the arrests of 28 people for making and selling knockoff goods.

Police seized $2.7 million in counterfeit items bearing names such as Air Jordan, Ed Hardy, Coach and Sony in the weekend raids, resulting in the second-largest take of knockoffs in Los Angeles County history, officials said Tuesday. More than 45 officers participated in the annual Christmas-time raids.

“As the economic times become tougher, the counterfeits become more and more prevalent,” said Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. David Doan. “That continues to be a negative rein on businesses whose property is being counterfeited. We need to get the message out to make sure you buy smart and make sure you’re helping our economy and not helping the criminals.”

Those arrested will face varying charges, including sales, distribution and manufacturing of counterfeit merchandise, Doan said.

The stores in Santee Alley, also known as the Callejones, have long been a hot spot for selling bootleg goods -- including electronics, clothes, music and movies -- to Angelenos on a budget.

But the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not join forces to crack down on the selling of cheap reproductions of brand-name merchandise until 2004, said L.A. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, chairwoman of the anti-piracy task force.

Since the force’s formation, the two agencies have seized more than 1.7 million bootleg items from across Los Angeles County at a total street value of more than $49 million and have made more than 300 arrests, according to statistics compiled by the group.

The police and the Sheriff’s Department raided Santee Alley last year, pulling in about $14 million in counterfeit merchandise, Doan said.

Though the total number of goods confiscated this year is down about $11 million, officials say they are unconcerned.

“I’d like to think the numbers are down because we’re doing a better job of law enforcement,” Doan said. “This is a year-round effort, and just taking a seller off the street will not take care of the issue.”

--

nathan.olivarezgiles@latimes.com

mark.medina@latimes.com