A report of gunfire near a storage facility in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, led police to more than $11 million worth of suspected counterfeit goods, Shrewsbury police said Tuesday.
Police said the call began as a report of shots fired near Holden and Bow streets. While searching the area, investigators came across a person at a storage unit at the Extra Space Storage facility nearby on Clinton Street. Inside what appeared to be three converted storage units were thousands of items, which investigators say were set up like a retail store would display its merchandise.
Officers suspected the items - which included handbags, sunglasses, hats, shoes clothing, backpacks, cologne, phone cases, earbuds and umbrellas and boasted brand names like Rolex, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Nike and North Face - were counterfeit. Police applied for search warrants for the units as well as two cars that were on scene.
Police contacted a consulting firm, Powers and Associates, for help identifying potential counterfeit items. All told, investigators collected 16,644 items from the storage units and another 19 from the vehicles, estimated in value at over $11.3 million.
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The investigation is ongoing and no details on any suspects or charges were released.
