Excise Police: Counterfeit goods seized from South Bend stores

Indiana State Excise Police executed search warrants at four businesses Wednesday afternoon and seized more than 3,000 items believed to be counterfeit.

The merchandise seized includes shoes, hats, purses, clothing and accessories with name brands such as Nike/Air Jordan, Michael Kors, Timberland, North Face, Polo, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB.

Excise officers served the search warrants at the following locations:

  • South Side Grocery-1823 S. Michigan St.
  • OC Mini Mart-815 N. Olive St.
  • Finer Foods Inc.-3227 W. Sample St.
  • South Bend Market-2904 S. Michigan St.  

No arrests were made during the time of the search warrants.

Superintendent Matt Strittmatter said in a press release, "The sale of counterfeit merchandise is a crime the State Excise Police often encounter during administrative investigations of alcoholic beverage and tobacco businesses.  Likewise, excise officers have developed skills to conduct these investigations.  This is a crime that puts consumers at risk and costs the manufacturers of legitimate products millions of dollars annually, Moreover, it is important to ensure the proceeds gleaned from the sale of counterfeit products are not used to finance other criminal enterprises."

Once the investigation is complete, Excise Police will forward the information to the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office.

Photo courtesy Indiana Excise Police Photo courtesy Indiana Excise Police Photo courtesy Indiana Excise Police Photo courtesy Indiana Excise Police Photo courtesy Indiana Excise Police


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