Police raid exposes major fake designer clothes factory in Lanzarote
The Guardia Civil has carried out the biggest ever operation against counterfeit clothing in the Canary Islands, dismantling a large-scale illegal factory in Lanzarote and seizing products worth an estimated €8 million.
Four people aged between 26 and 53 have been arrested, and a fifth is under investigation, accused of illegally producing and selling fake designer goods, belonging to a criminal group, and offences against workers’ rights.
The investigation began in July 2025 after suspicious shipments of clothing were spotted arriving in Lanzarote. This led officers to an industrial warehouse in Arrecife, which turned out to be the centre of an organised network that had allegedly been operating for at least seven years. Inside, police discovered a fully equipped counterfeit clothing factory producing fake garments and footwear carrying the logos of world-famous fashion brands.
The criminal group imported blank items of clothing from wholesale suppliers in Madrid, which were shipped by container to the port of Los Mármoles. Once in Lanzarote, the items were stored and then processed in the Arrecife warehouse, where logos and designs of luxury and sports brands were illegally reproduced.
During the raid, officers seized ten direct-to-garment printers, a thermal press, and two specialist machines for printing logos onto trainers, all connected to computers with design software.
They also confiscated thousands of transfers, labels, and logos ready to be applied to clothing. Among the brands affected were Adidas, Nike, Puma, Lacoste, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, Armani, Balenciaga, Gucci, Versace, Fila, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Around 1,000 boxes of clothing were also found, alongside cash, counterfeit items already prepared for sale, and computer equipment. Experts estimate that if sold, the fake products could have generated around €8 million in revenue.
Authorities have said that the serious damage caused by counterfeit goods includes loss of trust in brands, significant economic losses, job cuts, and risks to consumers’ health due to the use of poor-quality and sometimes toxic materials.
The Guardia Civil operation also involved the Labour Inspectorate of Las Palmas, which investigated potential fraud against Social Security and employment law violations.
The case remains open, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
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