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.
What a lot of people are not understanding is that Homeland Security protects citizens intellectual property rights. A lot of conterfeit goods come from China. Who knows, anybody think that maybe they are trying to figure out how all these counterfeit goods get here in the first place? Also, there are a lot of branches of our DHS. So no, thet are not letting terrorists in the country while catching individuals breaking federal laws.
@[1759380101:2048:Clarissa Saum] you should not have thanked anyone for the Patriot Act. It is uncons$#%&!@*utional. Any law that says federal agents can search anyone and everyone who wants to travel with no probable cause is uncons$#%&!@*utional.
Natalia Sh Homeland security is not a department that is needed. Justice is the department that should be investigating federal crimes. Defense is the department that should be securing the homeland. We already had those so homeland security was unnecessary.
So, DHS is doing the job of the Justice Department?
Please show me a link indicating the DOJ is responsible for protecting intellectual property rights.
Libral s forgot there obama lives to deceive muslum s don’t beleave in the truth
I believe Customs Enforcement is part of DHS. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the government to walk and chew gum at the same time. I also hate counterfeiters. The same channels that bring in bogus consumer goods, also bring in more serious stuff, like counterfeit aircraft parts.
there hasnt been an honest president since JFK. look what happened to him.
Yes I’m waiting for one of these presidential hopefuls to take on the federal reserve
And the banking cartel.
Ronald Reagan did not create FEMA.