The Local Police have seized almost 1,500 counterfeit handbags as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal street selling and the sale of fake goods in the busy tourist areas of Las Americas and Los Cristianos in southern Tenerife.

The latest operation forms part of efforts to tackle what has been described as an "epidemic" of unlicensed street selling in the municipality, where counterfeit products are regularly offered to tourists and residents.

Police say the problem is particularly visible along the main streets and public areas of the main tourist resorts, where illegal sellers can be seen operating from makeshift displays or carrying large quantities of goods in bags and rucksacks.

Almost 1,500 counterfeit bags seized

Authorities are not only targeting the people selling products on the streets but are also trying to establish where the counterfeit merchandise is being stored and distributed from.

During the latest operation, officers confiscated almost 1,500 fake handbags and 1,400 designer logo badges at a premises in El Fraile., making it another significant seizure in the municipality of Arona.

Police identified a 50-year-old Senegalese man who was allegedly the owner of the premises containing all the counterfeit goods, but he couldn’t produce any legal documents confirming this. Subsequently, all items were confiscated and taken as evidence of counterfeiting.

The Local Police claim that simply maintaining a visible police presence in areas commonly used by illegal street sellers is not considered enough to solve the problem. Instead, they believe enforcement needs to reach the warehouses, commercial premises and other locations supplying the goods to sellers.

A familiar sight in Tenerife's tourist areas

Illegal street selling remains a familiar sight in several of Tenerife's busiest tourist areas. Sellers frequently offer handbags, clothing, sunglasses and other products carrying the names or logos of major international brands.

The latest operation comes amid continuing action by Arona Local Police and Spain's other security forces against illegal street trading and the distribution of counterfeit merchandise.

Police acknowledge that tackling the problem is difficult and places considerable demands on officers, particularly when sellers return to the streets following enforcement operations.

However, the seizure of almost 1,500 bags demonstrates the scale of the trade and the continuing attempts to disrupt the supply and sale of counterfeit goods in southern Tenerife.