By Darrell Halen
Police said they seized more than 20,000 counterfeit items and arrested 32 vendors for dealing in counterfeit goods at the Salem Flea Market.
The raid at 18 Hampshire Road, conducted on Sunday, Dec. 2, involved close to 25 Salem officers and seven detectives from Methuen, Mass, according to Salem Deputy Police Chief William Ganley.
Investigators began seizing and cataloging items at 11 a.m. and continued working until 10 p.m.
Ganley said the estimated value of the goods has not yet been determined.
The arrests followed a four-month undercover investigation that included the help of Methuen, Mass. police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigators from the Recording Industry Association of America, and Powers & Associates, experts who can differentiate authentic goods from fake ones.
Police carried out 29 search warrants, and the counterfeit goods seized included music CDs, designer jewelry, baseball hats, designer handbags and other items.
Four people were charged with dealing in counterfeit recordings: Gamaliel Cancel, 75, and Flor Rosado, 47, both of Lawrence, Mass., and Floyd West, 38, and Eric Coward, 19, both of Brockton, Mass.
Although most warrants and arrests were carried out without incident, West and Coward became combative, according to police. Both face charges of resisting arrest or detention, and Coward faces a charge of disorderly conduct.
The men were released on $500 cash bail and will appear in Salem District Court on Jan. 7. Cancel and Rosado will appear in court the same day.
According to Ganley, 28 people face charges of deceptive business practices. A 16-year-old juvenile from Stoneham, Mass., faces charges in juvenile court.
The following were issued summons to appear in court on Jan. 7: Sophorn Yem, 24, Dracut, Mass.; Chang-Sen Zhang, 53, Woodside, New York; Jiawei Zhu, 20, Xiang Zhang, 24, Wenjie Lu, 19, *** Lie Ye, 63, Ye Qi Xiao, 17, Rongli Li, 54, Hai Shuang Luo, 28, and Xiuzhen Ye, 40, all of Flushing, N.Y.; Mia Yan Qu, 36, Zhenxiu Lin, 35, and Zhong Qu, 37, all of Oakland Garden, N.Y.; Neng Sin, 71, Long Beach, Calif.; Mai Nguyen, 50, and Choa *** Chen, 24, both of Dorchester, Mass.; Yun Leung, 45, Lenoir, N.C.; Yun Wol Chon, 58, and Hwa Yong Chon, 61, both of Hampstead; Mohd Karajeh, 47, Revere, Mass.; Harry Tran, 57, Lawrence, Mass.; Sopha Yem, 51, Lowell, Mass.; Qu Yaiu Miao, 36, Forest Hills, New York; Sen Nengsen, 57, unknown address; Winning Wu, 33, and Qin Q. Wang, 29, both of Corona, N.Y.; and Qiyi Zhing, 25, New York, N.Y.
Seven of the people charged were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for immigration violations, police said.
Methuen officers also searched storage units and recovered merchandise, Ganley said.