A counterfeit operation in Miami-Dade County has been dismantled, resulting in the arrest of two individuals accused of selling fake brand-name soccer apparel. Local10 reported that the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office apprehended a couple allegedly responsible for operating multiple stores that distributed counterfeit merchandise from brands like Adidas, Nike, and Puma. According to the arrest report for Silvia Marila Urgilez-Guartan, authorities first became suspicious when they noticed a store with soccer apparel on display in front of mannequins but lacking any business signage, other than an illuminated "open sign."
The investigation was further spurred when items were found being sold for one-fourth or less of the normal retail value at locations linked to Silvia Soccer Liga Sport LLC and another store owned by the couple. NBC Miami reports that more than 3,000 counterfeit Adidas soccer sets and over 800 imitation major league soccer uniforms were discovered, putting the estimated total retail value of the seized goods at over $530,000. Working in conjunction with Homeland Security and brand investigators, the Miami-Dade deputies unraveled a network of seven sports apparel stores engaged in distributing falsified goods.
The owners of these stores, Julio Pillacela Sanchez and his wife, Silvia Urgilez-Guartan, face charges of selling counterfeit goods worth $20,000 or more. With most of the deliveries going to the businesses under scrutiny, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol involvement identified a majority of the deliveries in the name of Julio Pillacela, leading detectives onto the trail of a third business named Soccer Liga Miami Inc., where both Urgilez-Guartan and Pillacela Sanchez held positions as vice president and president, respectively, according to Local10.
A subsequent search at the Northwest 20th Street store location resulted in the encounter with Ignacio Pillacela, the brother of Julio Pillacela Sanchez, who confirmed the couple's ownership but refused to cooperate further when authorities requested their presence. The report also stated that Silvia Urgilez-Guartan initially claimed to be too unwell, then too far away, and ultimately refused to respond to the store when contacted by detectives. Her husband, Julio Pillacela Sanchez, hung up the phone on his brother upon learning of the ongoing investigation and thereafter avoided all calls, as per his arrest report obtained by Local10.
Urgilez-Guartan has since been released from jail on bail and has entered a plea of not guilty. Meanwhile, according to NBC Miami, Julio Pillacela Sanchez has turned himself in to the authorities and is currently awaiting trial. The total value of the counterfeit merchandise seized in the bust is estimated at $534,295, a sum that includes a variety of goods such as soccer sets, caps, and baby onesies.
