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Home > What's New > Counterfeiters Busted in Florida
Counterfeiters Busted in Florida
Posted: Monday, August 25, 2003
By Michael S. Marsh
Controlling counterfeiting in the cigar industry is no easy task, but Altadis U.S.A. Inc. has proven aggressive measures can produce positive results. Over the last two years, the efforts by the Fort Lauderdale-based cigar giant have led to a number of arrests, convictions and, most importantly, the demise of several counterfeit operations working out of Florida.
The latest victory for Altadis came on August 7, when detectives from the Miami-Dade County police department, accompanied by Altadis officials, raided the South Beach Cigar Factory Inc. In the raid, authorities seized hundreds of boxes of counterfeit Montecristo, H. Upmann and Romeo y Julieta cigars, fake box inserts and bands, plus business records and computers. The proprietor of the counterfeit operation, Rodolfo Morejon (who also did business under the name Cuba Habanos U.S.A., according to Altadis) was arrested and will be prosecuted for trademark infringement.
Altadis makes non-Cuban Montecristos, H. Upmanns and Romeo y Julieta, along with Trinidad, Saint Luis Rey and Por Larranaga and owns the trademarks for these brands in the United States. The company has been victimized by counterfeiters and has made anti-counterfeiting efforts a top priority. In August 2001, Altadis was awarded substantial monetary compensation in two counterfeiting lawsuits, and in October 2002, it saw three counterfeiters receive federal convictions.
"These are significant victories," said Theo Folz, president and C.E.O. of Altadis U.S.A., "not just for Altadis, but for its distributors, consumers and the entire industry."
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