Andorra Police Detain Two Portuguese Men for Selling €10K Counterfeit Tools
Authorities arrested the non-residents after a business complaint, seizing 25 suitcases of fake premium-branded tools plus labeling materials worth €10,000. One has prior offenses in Spain.
Key Points
- Two Portuguese men, 41 and 49, arrested in La Massana for fraudulently selling counterfeit drills, grinders, and hammers to five businesses.
- Victims in Andorra la Vella and La Massana lost €3,950; suspects posed as company reps offering 'surplus' stock.
- Police seized 25 suitcases of fake tools worth €10,000 resale value, plus stickers, labels, and glue from hotel and vehicles.
- Men released pending charges for qualified fraud; one has prior offenses in Spain; probe for more victims ongoing.
Police in Andorra arrested two Portuguese non-residents, aged 41 and 49, last Friday morning in La Massana on suspicion of fraud for selling counterfeit industrial tools to at least five local businesses. The victims included a joinery, two locksmith shops, a mechanics workshop, and a tyre sales and fitting garage, mainly in Andorra la Vella and La Massana, with reported losses totaling €3,950.
The men posed as employees from construction or locksmith companies, offering drills, angle grinders, hammers, and other equipment at discounted prices. They told buyers the items were surplus stock or undeclared at customs. One affected business owner grew suspicious and alerted authorities after purchasing the tools.
Officers stopped the suspects' vehicle, discovering multiple tool cases apparently branded with two premium makes used by industry professionals. Further searches of a second rented vehicle and their hotel rooms uncovered additional evidence. In total, police seized 25 suitcases of low-quality white-label tools intended for resale at around €10,000, along with bags of fake brand stickers in various sizes, QR-coded labels, glue pots, application tools, and business cards of potential targets. No invoices or customs declarations accompanied the original items.
Investigators determined the pair had arrived in the Principat on 9 September, shipping the tools to Spain via couriers before bringing them undeclared into Andorra and relabeling them at their hotel. One suspect has previous similar offenses in Spain. Prosecutors sought prison time, treating the case as qualified fraud with penalties of one to five years, while defense counsel argued it amounted to simple fraud at worst, citing at least one refund. The men appeared before a duty judge on Saturday afternoon and were released with charges pending judicial processing, but no additional restrictions.
Police do not anticipate their return, given their non-resident status, and continue probing for other possible victims.
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