Police smash $10m Cisco counterfeit ring

Estimated $1m worth of Cisco kit seized as three UK men arrested

Three UK men have been arrested on suspicion of running a counterfeit business that sold more than $10m (£6.6m) worth of fake Cisco kit.

Police swooped on the trio last Wednesday and dismantled the operation, which they suspect of importing, exporting and selling counterfeit Cisco networking products through a company website and telesales.

Over the past two and a half years, US Customs and Border Protection intercepted 40 shipments of suspected counterfeit Cisco products the men are believed to have shipped from the UK to the US.

Cisco UK chief executive Phil Smith told CRN last August that cracking down on the grey market and counterfeit kit is "high on his radar".

Two of the men were arrested at their homes in Sawbridgeworth and Birchanger and the third at his place of work in Bishops Stortford. Cisco kit with an estimated value of more than $1m was seized following a search.

Detective inspector Mick Dodge of the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), said: "Last week's action saw PIPCU dismantle a criminal gang suspected of cheating the computer industry out of millions of pounds.

"Cisco products are used by organisations worldwide to underpin their IT infrastructures. Businesses need to have confidence in their supply chains and be aware of the risks that counterfeit products can have on their networks; potentially compromising integrity and functionality including significant network outages."