A “knockoff party” advertised on Facebook got more attention than expected this weekend after police stepped in and seized a variety of counterfeit luxury items.
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The items were being sold Saturday evening at a tanning salon in the Kernwood Plaza on Salem Street, near the Wakefield town line. According to a police report, Topsfield Police informed Lynnfield of the upcoming “knockoff party” after being contacted by an individual working with a private investigative agency.
The police report indicated the private investigator reported going to the tanning salon in advance of the party to speak to the owner, and that she got an invitation to come to it herself.
On Saturday around 5 p.m., Lynnfield Sergeant David Mayerson parked in a marked cruiser across the street from the salon while Detective Anthony Hnath waited nearby in an unmarked vehicle. Two detectives from Topsfield were also watching from an unmarked vehicle.
The officers reported that a van arrived in the Kernwood Plaza parking lot around 6:40 p.m., driven by a caucasian woman who was accompanied by a hispanic woman and a 10-year-old boy. The trio were seen unloading the vehicle. About 30 minutes later, after a 23-year-old Lynnfield woman was spotted buying a couple of handbags and placing them in the trunk of her BMW, the police entered the business. About 15 people were reportedly there when the police came in.
Brand names being pirated included Louis Vuitton, Coach, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and UGG, and the items ranged from purses and wallets to scarves, sunglasses and more.
The involved parties were said to be cooperative and officers ended up transporting the merchandise and the van back to the Lynnfield Police Station. Police issued a summons to a 44-year-old Everett woman for distributing the counterfeit luxury items.
A total of 280 items valued at $12,230 were reportedly seized. Some items were also apparently returned because they did not actually meet the standard of being considered counterfeit.
