RIYADH – Inspection teams from the Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MCI) in a joint security operation seized a huge quantity of counterfeit cosmetic products from two warehouses belonging to a retail chain in Riyadh and its distribution outlets in the Eastern Province. The seized cosmetics included 1,652 items that were not registered with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). The raid on a warehouse in Riyadh was carried out in a well-planned and tightly secured operation, which was preceded by close surveillance. Investigations following the seizure of counterfeit cosmetics showed that the owners of the warehouse used to distribute the products in the Eastern Province as well through a store chain, which owned the warehouse in Riyadh. Follow-up operations led to the seizure of over 77,000 cosmetic products from distribution points in Dammam and Al-Khobar. The products were imitations of well-known brands. The inspection team with support from joint security teams busted another warehouse in southern Riyadh following close monitoring and surveillance, which confirmed that the facility was manufacturing fake cosmetic products. It turned out that the plant also belonged to the cosmetics chain implicated in the first Riyadh raid. Some 260,000 counterfeit cosmetic products were seized from the facility. The total quantity of counterfeit products seized in the raids on the warehouse, manufacturing facility and distribution points in the Eastern Province exceeded 597,000. The owners of the chain will be summoned and referred to the Public Prosecution, the ministry said in a statement.
