Malabis: counterfeit goods worth over €10 million seized in Spain and Portugal

The record

The results announced on 9 November concern 12 searches involving Spain’s Guardia Civil, Portugal’s GNR and Europol support. The suspicions extend beyond industrial-property offences to document forgery and participation in a criminal organisation. The operation and the financial estimates describe the authorities’ case at an investigative stage; they do not establish the individual guilt of those arrested. [1][2]

Two financial figures that must remain separate

The valuation above €10 million applies to the goods seized. It is the figure underpinning this report’s assessment of the operation’s scale. It is not a statement that police found that amount in cash, recovered it for victims or froze bank accounts holding an equivalent balance.

The approximately €20 million annual figure is an estimate of illicit earnings attributed to the suspected network. An annual estimate and a stock of goods are different measurements. Adding them together would produce a misleading headline total. Nor does the existence of a money-laundering suspicion convert the earnings estimate into a proved amount laundered.

A border-spanning evidence trail

GNR dates Portugal’s five non-residential searches in Braga, Porto and Vila Real to 6–7 November. The 22,083 garments found there are included in the overall seizure; they are not an additional total. [1]

According to Europa Press, sales were coordinated from Verín and Xinzo de Limia, with logistics in northern Portugal. The suspected network used its own road transport and express parcels to supply shops. The report also describes copied QR codes; all six suspects were remanded. [2]

GNR says a European Investigation Order supported the Portuguese action. The European Commission describes this instrument as a judicial request for another EU country to obtain evidence, including evidence already held there. It is a means of gathering material, not a finding of guilt. [1][3]

Why the distinction matters

The financial question is not answered simply by counting products. Goods can demonstrate the size of a suspected distribution operation, while tracing payments addresses who benefited and whether money was concealed. A strong evidential picture needs to connect those strands without treating every commercial intermediary as knowingly involved.

For wider context, the Commission and EUIPO reported more than 196 million counterfeit items intercepted across the EU in 2025, with an estimated value of €6.3 billion. That annual Europe-wide total is separate from Malabis and cannot measure this network’s share of the market. [4]

The Ledgers will follow subsequent judicial decisions and any verified financial findings. The accessible accounts do not provide a defence response or a final judgment on these six suspects. Custody, seizure and investigation must therefore remain clearly distinguished from conviction.

Source note: The GNR release provides direct official information on the Portuguese action. Europa Press relays the Spanish authorities’ account. These are connected official accounts of one operation, not independent proof of every allegation. Original euro amounts are retained.

Currency note: At the ECB reference rate of 9 November 2026 (€1 = US$1.1193), over €10 million is approximately over US$11.19 million; €20 million is about US$22.39 million. Conversions are rounded for comparison. [5]