Authorities closed down a perfume factory in Riyadh producing local fragrances with counterfeit labels of famous brand names.

The fake perfume factory was spotted by officials of the Ministry of Commerce during their a regular inspection aimed at curbing the manufacture of counterfeit items in the Kingdom. The perfumes were sold in the open market through retail outlets.

According to an official, the authorities seized more than 10,000 perfume bottles carrying names of famous brands. Most of the perfume bottles had "Made in France" labels affixed. The owners and workers were summoned by the ministry for necessary action.

In a similar operation in the Muzzamiyah district in the south of Riyadh in December, the authorities apprehended an Arab expatriate for running a counterfeit perfume factory. The officials noticed labels of well-known brands on the perfume boxes, while illegal workers packed the products and placed stickers on them for the purpose of selling them. The ministry seized 50,000 bottles of perfume and shut down the factory.

During an inspection campaign in June last year, the ministry found 100,000 fake cosmetics of popular brands at homes in the Riyadh neighborhood of Al-Deerah. The seized goods included more than 56,000 fake Johnson & Johnson products, 9,400 perfumes and 18,000 bottles of brand shampoos.

The ministry said the inspectors identified a group of expatriates working together to store large quantities of fake perfumes and shampoos which they said were then marketed to small retail stores as genuine items of well-known brands.

The ministry conducts routine inspections to prevent counterfeit goods entering the local market. Officials stressed that the ministry will continue its operations in all parts of the Kingdom to eliminate the phenomenon of fake items and bring the violators to book.

The ministry has called on all consumers to report their complaints and observations to the Notification Center in the ministry through the toll-free No. 1900.