Marbella’s local police are pleading with people in Puerto Banus and other local hotspots to stop buying fake goods from street vendors. Forces in the Costa del Sol resort city have confiscated a total of over 37,000 fake products so far this year – a huge increase compared to the 26,700 that were taken in 2024.
This comes after Marbella’s Policia Local recently launched a crackdown on the crime in tourist zones and shops where illegal vendors are usually spotted. These street vendors typically offer counterfeit designer goods, including handbags and sunglasses. According to their calculations, around a hundred illegal sellers are active between the port, the city centre and Las Chapas – a small seaside residential area. However, while police have doubled down in their efforts, they have admitted there is only so much they can do, so they are now pleading with tourists and locals to help them “slow down this type of crime”.
The Policia Local is encouraging locals to report the sale of false products and pleading with them to stop buying the items. Each purchase, they said, fuels the black market and damages Marbella’s social and economic fabric by harming both brands and legitimate buyers, as well as contributing to tax evasion.
“You can also help us to stop this crime. Do not buy fake goods,” Marbella Policia Local said in a message to its citizens, according to The Olive Press. “Behind each fake product is fraud, exploitation, and loss of jobs.”
In nearby Málaga, Spain’s national police had made significant progress in the crackdown on crime, discovering wholesale outlets selling counterfeit goods in the Guadalhorce industrial park. They made 49 arrests and confiscated over seven kilograms of items. They carried out a total of 31 inspections at neighbouring industrial sites, disposing of over 24,000 items and finding more than €380,000 (£336,000) in cash and other foreign currencies.
So far in Marbella, the town hall has confiscated 12,330 items – 8,000 of which were fake – between January and May in its bid to stop counterfeit sellers and create a “safe city”.
This comes as tourists in Spain were warned they could face hefty fines for buying fake goods earlier in the summer. While the street sellers are the main targets of police crackdowns, there are now also penalties for tourists who are caught buying things like fake bags, watches, shoes and sunglasses.
In popular spots like Costa Barava, fines of €200 (£170) were given out to tourists buying fake goods.
“The price you pay for a fake item can go beyond the initial cost. It could be a fine, a loss of the item, and potentially serious legal consequences,” warned Danny Toffel, founder and CEO of Watches2U.