4,000 Counterfeit Cartridges Seized in Russia

According to Russian radio website Radiovesti, the largest raid against counterfeiters in Russia ended with the seizure of more than 4,000 counterfeit HP cartridges. This action conducted by Russian law enforcement was carried out in December 2012.

During the raid, three truckloads of fake products were seized at the production and storage facilities in a closed research institute. Counterfeit cartridges, packed in second-hand original packaging ready for selling here, were confiscated by Russian law enforcement as well.

Colonel Konstantin Grakhovo, Deputy Chief of Customs Control, commented, upon release of the goods from Moscow customs, “The agency is committed to pursue and judge the manufacturers of counterfeit products containing unknown chemicals that damage the printer and the environment. The seizure of the products will probably lead to further anti-counterfeiting activities in the region.”

This is the largest raid with the highest number of cartridges seized in Russia for two years. Another similar raid was conducted in February with 2,500 counterfeit HP cartridges confiscated.

According to Forrester Consulting, Russia had one of the lowest levels of counterfeit HP cartridges in the EMEA region. Here, an estimated 11% of organizations indicated that they had encountered counterfeit cartridges compared to 23% of organizations in the UAE, 31% in Algeria and 50% in Nigeria.