Fake Lego gang dismantled during a 30 million dollar Chinese raid

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Chinese police discovered a gang accused of manufacturing and selling counterfeit Lego worth $ 30 million.

Police raided a Chinese toy maker that was producing fake Lego products in the southern city of Shenzhen, arresting four people, police said.

The toys – including an imitation Star Wars set – were copied from Lego plans, according to a police statement.

More than 630,000 finished products have been seized, the statement added.

"In October 2018, the Shanghai police found that the Lepin building blocks available on the market were extremely similar to those of Lego," the police said.

"On more than 10 assembly lines, more than 90 molds have been produced … [police seized] some 630,000 completed pieces worth more than 200 million yuan ($ 30 million) ".

Images posted by the Chinese authorities following the raid showed products that appeared to be almost identical to those made by the Danish toy giant.

With the apparent imitation of Star Wars, products were marketed in conjunction with the new "Lego Movie 2" and sold under the name "The Lepin Bricks 2," police said.

The counterfeits would have been sold at a fraction of the price, with a city-themed Lepin game on the market for $ 3 a box, while similar Lego games start at $ 15.

The police investigation is ongoing.

Robin Smith, vice president and general counsel of Lego China and Asia-Pacific, told the Xinhua official news agency that product safety could also be a cause for concern.

The raid comes as China seeks to strengthen intellectual property rights, with the number of trials reaching a record last year.

At the same time, Lego celebrated last year a return to growth after a first decline in sales and profits for 13 years in 2017.

The bricks of the company – it sells $ 75 billion a year in more than 140 countries – and kits are manufactured in five countries – Mexico, China, Czech Republic, Hungary and Denmark.