Chinese Counterfeit $35 Million Worth of Italian Train Tickets

ajtr

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Chinese Counterfeit $35 Million Worth of Italian Train Tickets

Italian police are not surprised when they find counterfeit goods from China, but were taken aback to find $35 million worth of counterfeit train tickets for Rome's "Leonardo express" train on a ship that arrived from China.

Police in the Tuscan port of Livorno discovered over 2 million Chinese-made counterfeit train tickets stashed in 28 cardboard boxes at the back of a container meant to be carrying office furniture and postcards.

The tickets were all for the Rome central train station-airport "Leonardo express" train which sells at 14 euros ($19) a ticket.

"The seizure of this shipment is further proof of the versatility of Chinese criminal gangs," said Livorno Chief Prosecutor Francesco De Leo at a press conference held in the port city of Livorno to announce the find.

Over 400,000 containers transit through the port of Livorno every year.

"We knew immediately they were counterfeit tickets because why would the Italian train transport company be producing tickets in China?" Lt. Col. Donato Pignatore, spokesman for the Livorno 'Guardia di Finanza', Customs police said with a laugh. "Anyway, if they had been, they would have had no problem declaring that."

Comparisons with the real tickets showed the fake tickets had an inferior paper weight, a slightly washed-out look and the font of the numbers used were larger than on a genuine ticket.

The container which travelled by ship from the Chinese port of Ningbo was destined for a Chinese-run household-goods store in the Florence area, but investigators believe the tickets would have eventually been sold through travel agencies and other distributors throughout Italy.

A search was carried out at the store listed as the importer of the goods. Investigators found documents which link the store to the container, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Police did not say whether any arrests were made in the case.

Distribution of the fake tickets which would have resulted in a huge loss of revenue for the Italian State train company and hefty sum of unpaid taxes to the state.

Checks on container documents and manifests are carried out on at least 60 percent of the containers arriving at the Livorno port, with particular attention given to containers arriving from South America or the Far East.

"These counterfeit companies are very skillful and use different ports and company names each time to bring in their goods. We have to be ever-alert," Pignatore said.
 

p2prada

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They copy tickets even and what's worse is they did a bad job doing it.
 

Ray

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Whats China's gain in doing so?
 

s002wjh

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gee didnt the article mention its criminal gang?? every country has them, and any country has people copy stuff for their own profit, russian criminal has fake rolex, US criminal has fake illegal drug and so on
 

Blackwater

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Chinese Counterfeit $35 Million Worth of Italian Train Tickets

Italian police are not surprised when they find counterfeit goods from China, but were taken aback to find $35 million worth of counterfeit train tickets for Rome's "Leonardo express" train on a ship that arrived from China.

Police in the Tuscan port of Livorno discovered over 2 million Chinese-made counterfeit train tickets stashed in 28 cardboard boxes at the back of a container meant to be carrying office furniture and postcards.

The tickets were all for the Rome central train station-airport "Leonardo express" train which sells at 14 euros ($19) a ticket.

"The seizure of this shipment is further proof of the versatility of Chinese criminal gangs," said Livorno Chief Prosecutor Francesco De Leo at a press conference held in the port city of Livorno to announce the find.

Over 400,000 containers transit through the port of Livorno every year.

"We knew immediately they were counterfeit tickets because why would the Italian train transport company be producing tickets in China?" Lt. Col. Donato Pignatore, spokesman for the Livorno 'Guardia di Finanza', Customs police said with a laugh. "Anyway, if they had been, they would have had no problem declaring that."

Comparisons with the real tickets showed the fake tickets had an inferior paper weight, a slightly washed-out look and the font of the numbers used were larger than on a genuine ticket.

The container which travelled by ship from the Chinese port of Ningbo was destined for a Chinese-run household-goods store in the Florence area, but investigators believe the tickets would have eventually been sold through travel agencies and other distributors throughout Italy.

A search was carried out at the store listed as the importer of the goods. Investigators found documents which link the store to the container, but the investigation is still ongoing.

Police did not say whether any arrests were made in the case.

Distribution of the fake tickets which would have resulted in a huge loss of revenue for the Italian State train company and hefty sum of unpaid taxes to the state.

Checks on container documents and manifests are carried out on at least 60 percent of the containers arriving at the Livorno port, with particular attention given to containers arriving from South America or the Far East.

"These counterfeit companies are very skillful and use different ports and company names each time to bring in their goods. We have to be ever-alert," Pignatore said.
It's not good to post article against ur own PAPA. you have only one papa left out of many papas:rofl::thumb::p:taunt::wave:
 

trackwhack

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gee didnt the article mention its criminal gang?? every country has them, and any country has people copy stuff for their own profit, russian criminal has fake rolex, US criminal has fake illegal drug and so on
Wow, In your country, you are able to distinguish between legal copiers and criminal copiers?
 

sayareakd

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hope they dont go for delhi metro tokens.
It has brought bad name to China only. Earlier they used to make illegal copies, now they are making criminal illegal copies, wonder what will be next on Chines list.
 

s002wjh

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Wow, In your country, you are able to distinguish between legal copiers and criminal copiers?
In US, counterfeit is a crime, but does that stop gang to counterfeit/import fake rolex, luxury products? NO. same with china, there are too many people counterfeit stuff not enough enforcement. counterfeit bag has less sentence than smuggling drugs. ;) i hope you are not naive to think this was supported by the government ;)
 
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Ray

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Why are they doing it?

What is the gain?

Is it a way to break the Italian economy?
 

p2prada

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Why are they doing it?

What is the gain?

Is it a way to break the Italian economy?
The Chinese seem to want to compete with the Italian Mafia. Counterfeit tickets may be used by gangsters themselves without having to shell out money.

Maybe they travel a lot. :p
 

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