Europe's Largest Counterfeit Perfume Factory Dismantled in Catalonia

Mossos d'Esquadra officers, alongside Spain's Customs Surveillance Service and French customs authorities, have dismantled what investigators describe as Europe's largest counterfeit perfume factory, located in Catalonia's La Selva region.

The joint operation resulted in the seizure of 1.21 million bottles, the arrest of seven individuals, and the opening of investigations into 11 others on charges including criminal organization, smuggling, and intellectual property violations.

The probe began in October following international cooperation with France's Direction Nationale du Renseignement et des Enquêtes Douanières (DNRED). French officials had intercepted several shipments of fake perfumes from Girona, hidden in crates marked "extremely fragile."

This led investigators to three warehouses. On January 28, raids on two facilities in Fogars de la Selva uncovered a fully operational factory with seven production lines capable of producing over four million bottles annually. Inside, agents found 150,000 litres of base product, bottling and packaging equipment, and displays mimicking more than 50 luxury brands. Nine workers were present; seven were detained on site.

The setup included dedicated areas for bottling, capping, packaging, boxing, and printing fake logos. A third warehouse in Sant Feliu de Buixalleu yielded hundreds of drums and cans of aromatic elixirs, denatured alcohol, and over 870,000 ready-to-ship bottles. Authorities also spotted trucks loading undocumented goods bound for France.

Further checks revealed a logistics hub in Arbúcies, where police seized nearly 350,000 additional perfumes and documents linked to international distribution.

The case, overseen by the Investigating Court in Arenys de Mar, remains open, with more arrests possible.