"My tumbler, too?" Fake Starbucks tumbler is worth 1.3 billion won.

Busan Food and Drug Administration

A group of people who sold regular tumblers as products of Starbucks, a famous coffee brand, were arrested.

The Busan Regional Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said on the 17th that it sent four people, including A, to the prosecution on charges of violating the Food Sanitation Act and the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Food.

The Busan Food and Drug Administration recently received a 1399 complaint that Starbucks' equipment and containers distributed online were suspected to be counterfeit products and monitored online shopping malls to detect violations.

According to the investigation results, it was confirmed that A and others distributed about 1.3 billion won by advertising tumblers, forks, and spoons that forged trademarks of famous coffee brands as if they were genuine in online shopping malls and online communities for about four years from June 2020 to July this year. The original price of Starbucks is worth about 5 billion won.

Mr. A's group illegally brought fork and spoon to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety by international mail without an import declaration and repackaged them in boxes with famous coffee brand trademarks printed in Korea. The patternless tumbler was branded with a laser engraver and sold like a famous coffee brand product.

In addition, it is known that they sold food equipment and containers without marking any Korean signs that must be marked.

They posted product photos and imported food reports on their online shopping malls and communities to sell violating products, and falsely and exaggeratedly advertised consumers as products that were officially imported. The sale price was up to 60% cheaper than the original.

It turned out that a significant amount of the products they sold were sold as first-birthday parties, wedding gifts, and souvenirs and promotions from government offices and companies.

In addition, it was confirmed that they shared information on crackdowns and online inspections by investigative agencies such as the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and customs to avoid crackdowns and investigations or reduce allegations during the crime.

The Busan Food and Drug Administration confiscated all of the violation products worth about 1.2 billion won identified at the site of the seizure and search.

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.