As part of the operation, ASAE seized 35,000 counterfeit children's toys and arrested two people.

The seizure is the result of a week of work within a national crime prevention operation, carried out by its Regional Units, aimed at combating counterfeiting "in toys and products with child appeal that could endanger the health and safety of younger consumers."

The operation specifically targeted items under the 'POPMART – LABUBU' brand and similar products, the authority said in a statement, explaining that this is due to the popularity of these toys among younger consumers.

In this context, more than 40 economic operators, including importers and distributors, were inspected, with a special focus on large-volume commercial warehouses and retail establishments.

Following this operation, 28 criminal proceedings were instituted for counterfeiting, imitation, and illegal use of trademarks, as well as misuse of the CE mark, failure to label in Portuguese, and failure to comply with the distributor's legal obligations. And two people were arrested.

At the end of August, the PSP also seized thousands of counterfeit stuffed animals, including Labubu, worth over 40,000 euros.

According to a statement sent to Notícias ao Minuto, the operations that resulted in the seizures took place in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, between August 17th and 21st.

This operation aimed to "combat counterfeiting in commercial establishments and street vendors, and in this context, detected the sale of several items suspected of being counterfeit, considering the quality of the material presented and the price charged."

According to the authorities, several items were seized, with a total value of 45,000 euros. Regarding the dolls in question, 3,298 plush dolls were seized in this operation, worth a total of 42,874 euros.