Keen-nosed Turkish police have seized more than 118,000 bottles of fake perfume in the biggest such haul in recent years, the Istanbul police force said today.
Police raided nine warehouses in the Zeytinburnu and Bahcelievler districts in the city's European side, where fake perfumes bearing the names of luxury brands were being stored and produced.
Over 622,000 empty bottles, as well as boxes, containers and chemicals used in the manufacturing of the fake perfume were also seized during the week-long operation.
One person was arrested during last week's raids, Istanbul police department said in statement on its website.
The seized products were worth over USD 10 million, police said, warning that they were being sold "well below their market price."
The consignment was headed for Europe, presumably intended for sale during the busy Christmas season.
It was the largest haul of counterfeit perfumes in Turkey, a key transit route for fake goods from Asia and elsewhere into western Europe, in recent years, Turkish media said.
