The Dept. of Homeland Security, along with local law enforcement, raided a flea market this past weekend near Lawrence, Mass., arresting 40 people for selling counterfeit goods.
Since when is DHS suppose to be raiding flea markets? Aren’t they suppose to be tracking down terrorists? Oh wait, that’s what the Muslim Brotherhood organization considers Americans to be.
LAWRENCE — Police, joined by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, arrested 40 people for selling counterfeit items at two flea markets yesterday.
“This is an effort to support local, legitimate businesses who have complained of these individuals selling bogus merchandise,” Interim Lawrence Police Chief James Fitzpatrick said of the sweep last night.
“Over the course of several months, we targeted individual selling counterfeit goods and counterfeit intellectual property. Our investigation culminated with the arrests of over 40 people involved in selling these illicit items,” he said. “In recent history, I believe this is probably the largest raid in Massachusetts involving counterfeit goods.”
The raids began at about 11 a.m. yesterday and lasted through late afternoon. The raids took place at Don Flea Market at 85 Manchester St., and Lawrence Flea Market and Auction House at 468 N. Canal St, near the Falls Bridge, according to Fitzpatrick. The Police Department used several vans, some of them loaned by the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, to transport the defendants to the Lawrence Police Department, where they were being booked last night.
Fitzpatrick said he believed that most of those charged were from out of town.
“The Department of Homeland Security was the lead with Lawrence Police Department,” said Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office.
“We were part of the investigation and we will prosecute,” she said.
Police referred all comments on the raid to federal authorities. Calls to the U.S. Attorney’s office and Homeland Security were not returned.
Fitzpatrick said federal agents planned to wait until tomorrow before issuing a press release about yesterday’s raids.
“There’s a great deal of evidence that needs to be cataloged,” Fitzpatrick said of the items seized. Some of the counterfeit items sold were fake lines of clothing, he said.
Good question? Also you need to ask how come they are the final say in wether you get a building permit in your local community? When did the Fed takeover the responsibility of my local city, county or state’s oversight?
Time to defund a useless agency!
Maybe making counterfeit goods is how terrorists raise money…? I mean it ‘s not like they can do like an Al Qaeda fundraiser…
ICE is part of Homeland Security and I believe they have been tasked with looking for Counterfeit goods.
I guess the Plan, is for our government to turn every one in to crimes, but yet they are take Taxes pays money, an spending it anyway they want. Now, I ask who is the crime ?
Terrorists fight back the DHS is not going to do anything to them . And what does the selling of counterfeit goods have to do with this country’s security ?
They are nitpicking and micromanaging every aspect of our lives. Time to rise up and stop their bull$#%&!@*!
correct…
Next week the IRS will raid the flea markets
Obama’s “Geheime Staatspolizei”