SINGAPORE - Four man, aged between 30 and 41, were arrested on Friday (Oct 13), for their suspected involvement in possessing counterfeit mobile phones for trading purposes.

They were nabbed after a 14-hour operation, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Customs in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The Singapore Customs received a tip-off regarding the importation of the counterfeit products on Oct 12.

Customs officers intercepted six consignments from Hong Kong consisting of 180 mobile phones, at the Airport Logistics Park of Singapore that very night.

The case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The next day, CID officers raided a warehouse and office in Ubi, as well as residential units in Pasir Ris, Toa Payoh, Hougang and Bright Hill, in an islandwide operation.

The four men were arrested, and 288 counterfeit mobile phones worth S$288,000 were seized.

It was revealed in preliminary investigations that the four are allegedly involved in a syndicate which distributes counterfeit mobile phones.

Investigations are ongoing.

"The authorities take a serious view of intellectual property right (IPR) infringements and will not hesitate to take action against perpetrators who show blatant disregard for our IPR laws," said the two agencies in the statement.

Anyone found guilty of selling or distributing goods with falsely applied trademark, can be fined up to S$100,000 or jailed up to five years, or to both.