National police and investigators carried out some 1,700 interventions at commercial locations, ports and airports.

Black Poseidon led to the seizure of 7.3 million illicit items - clothing, toys, foods, electronics, cigarettes and tobacco, agrochemicals and vehicle spare parts worth a total of 123 million Euros.

More than 1,400 people were arrested or are being investigated by police as a result of the operation.

Police worked with prosecutors, customs and intellectual property crime experts in organizing the operation.

The high number of arrests and illicit goods seized during the operation highlights the international scale of illicit trade, with organized crime networks siphoning billions of Euros from the public purse annually.

The operation was carried out within the framework of INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods initiative, which aims to identify and dismantle the organized crime networks.

The operation helped protect the public from potentially dangerous substandard and fake goods, and raised awareness of the threat these represent.

Trafficking in illicit goods includes such practices as counterfeiting (trademark infringements), piracy (copyright infringements), smuggling of legitimate products and tax evasion.