PARKE COUNTY, Ind. -- Tens of thousands of suspected counterfeit items were discovered at the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival this week.
Indiana State Excise Police say they seized the items and arrested 24 people Wednesday at the festival.
Excise officers say their investigation began 2015 when they received complaints from people who bought merchandise from vendors at the festival.
Once the booths were set up this year, undercover officers made purchases from different vendors.
Officers say the items seized were believed to imitations of brands like Nike, The North Face, Ray Ban, Michael Kors, Oakley, Ugg, Beats by Dre, Louis Vuitton, MLB, NBA and NFL.
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"The sale of counterfeit merchandise is a crime that puts consumers at risk and costs the manufacturers of legitimate products millions of dollars annually. Moreover, it is important to ensure the proceeds gleaned from the sale of counterfeit products are not used to finance other criminal enterprises," said Superintendent Matt Strittmatter.
Officers say the 24 people arrested for forgery and counterfeiting were from Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan.
The festival runs from Oct. 13-24.
