Italian law enforcement officers have confiscated counterfeit retro consoles and video games worth almost 50 million euros that were illegally imported from China.
Police found that the counterfeit devices did not meet the technical and safety standards of the European Union.
Among the seized goods were imitations of classic consoles from Nintendo, Sega and Atari. They had pirated versions of popular games from the 80s and 90s, including Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter.
As a result of the operation, the police detained nine Italians and charged them with trafficking in counterfeit goods. If proven guilty, the suspects face up to eight years in prison. All seized counterfeit games were destroyed.
Alessandro Langella, Head of the Economic Crime Unit of the Turin Financial Police, said:
«We have seized approximately 12,000 consoles with more than 47 million pirated video games stored illegally. Their estimated value exceeds €47.5 million».
According to him, this amount covers the cost of consoles and hundreds of licenses for pirated programs.
In recent years, retro games became a profitable business. Classic games and consoles are often sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This trend has led to an increase in demand for retro products, which has created favorable conditions for fraudsters.
Source: videogameschronicle
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