On this Tuesday (4), the Federal Revenue Office is conducting an operation to inspect luxury shops that sell smuggled goods in high-end shopping malls in Campos do Jordão. The expectation is to seize about BRL 1.5 million in handbags, watches and clothing.
According to the FR, the purpose of the Operation Finto Lusso is to verify the fiscal regularity of the products and determine whether they are original or counterfeit, the result of smuggling practices.
The counterfeit luxury goods are sold for more than BRL 5 thousand a unit. According to the investigation, the seizures are expected to reach BRL 1.5 million in market value. The evaded taxes corresponding to the goods is estimated at BRL 750 thousand.
The name of the operation "Finto Lusso" alludes to the Italian expression that means "fake luxury". This is because the saleswomen themselves admit to their customers that their handbags were counterfeit and produced in Italy.
The trade of counterfeit and smuggled luxury goods in these shops, according to the Federal Police, hurts Brazilian traders, importers and producers who operate legally, besides taking away jobs and evading taxes, which are no longer collected to the public coffers. This practice also feeds organized crime.
Those responsible will be prosecuted for the crime of smuggling and for others that may be identified in the course of administrative proceedings.