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Alleged Starbucks coffee cup counterfeiters sent to prosecutors

Published: 17 Dec. 2024, 18:45 Updated: 17 Dec. 2024, 21:26

Counterfeit Starbucks tumblers sold online [MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]

A case involving four individuals accused of advertising and selling over 260,000 counterfeit Starbucks tumblers and utensils has been forwarded to prosecutors.

The suspects allegedly falsely labeled items, such as tumblers, forks and spoons, with the popular coffee brand’s trademarks and advertised them as genuine products, selling 1.3 billion ($903,700) worth of them since 2020, according to the Busan Regional Food and Drug Administration, a branch of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, on Tuesday.

The suspects were referred to prosecutors for violating both the Food Sanitation Act and the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Food.

The investigation began after a complaint about counterfeit coffee brand goods being sold online was reported to the Busan administration.

Suspecting the possibility of more similar illegal activities online, the administration began monitoring various online shopping platforms, eventually uncovering the suspects.

Counterfeit Starbucks tumblers sold online [MINISTRY OF FOOD AND DRUG SAFETY]

The investigation also discovered that the suspects sold the counterfeit products at prices up to 60 percent lower than the genuine items, with no required labeling for food utensils and containers attached to them.

The administration said it has seized counterfeit goods worth 1.2 billion won during the raids.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]