According to the State Police, an underground production facility was discovered on January 27, 2025, in one of the industrial premises in Riga. During the search, law enforcement seized 140,000 liters of counterfeit motor oil labeled with well-known brands GM (General Motors), Mobil 1, Castrol, and Ford Motorcraft. In addition to the finished products, the police found equipment for producing plastic bottles, molds for making containers, packaging materials, samples of empty containers, and packaging with caps. In fact, a complete cycle for preparing counterfeit products for sale was organized on-site. According to the investigation, the production was organized by two men born in 1982 and 1983. The first was effectively managing the financial and economic activities of a company registered in Latvia, while the second was an employee of that company. The investigation believes that they organized the manufacture of products with counterfeit trademarks and their distribution outside Latvia. Both Latvian citizens and individuals from non-European Union countries were involved in the production of the oil. The finished counterfeit products were sent to Italy, where they were sold in stores. Previously, neither of the suspects had come to the attention of the police. The damage to the companies owning the corresponding trademarks is estimated at 282,289 euros. The criminal proceedings are classified under the Criminal Law for the illegal use and counterfeiting of trademarks, as well as the intentional use or distribution of products with counterfeit marks. The maximum penalty under this article provides for up to six years of imprisonment. As part of the investigation, two real estate properties worth a total of 157,500 euros and four vehicles worth 311,250 euros have been seized.
