A group has been caught smuggling and distributing billions of won worth of counterfeit air purifier filters that imitated famous overseas brands.

The Incheon Airport Customs of the Korea Customs Service announced today (July 3) that it has referred the ringleader, identified as A, to the prosecution under arrest for violating the Customs Act and the Trademark Act, and has placed the supplier, identified as B, who is currently staying in China, on a wanted list.

The Korea Customs Service also referred three accomplices who participated in online distribution within the country to the prosecution without detention.

The investigation revealed that they illegally imported and distributed 69,000 items, including counterfeit air purifier filters, from China.

The investigation found that they used a "re-boxing" method to evade customs inspections, importing the goods in boxes without brand labels and then repacking them in a domestic warehouse.

They were found to have sold the products at 80 to 90 percent of the price of genuine items, aiming to avoid raising consumer suspicion that might arise if the prices were too low.

When 10 types of the seized counterfeit filters were sent to the Korea Testing Certification Institute for inspection, prohibited hazardous substances were detected in 3 models.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has taken administrative measures, including import and sales bans and recall orders, and blocked the distribution of products found to be in violation of safety standards, such as the air purifier filters containing hazardous substances.

The Korea Customs Service requested, "Please actively report to the Korea Customs Service if you discover illegal activities such as the smuggling and distribution of counterfeit goods."

(Photo: Provided by Korea Customs Service, Yonhap News)