Despite making 682 busts on Canal Street this year, the NYPD has still not been able to curb the popularity of counterfeit goods vendors in downtown Manhattan. Business is booming at stalls in Chinatown, where vendors sell fake designer purses and sunglasses at a fraction of the real cost. One vendor told the Post, "The businesses hate us, and the government doesn't get their taxes." But they also say their goods are just as good as the originals. One vendor said of an $80 "Dolce & Gabbana" purse, "The other bags are made in Italy. These are made in Korea. That is the only difference—everything else is the same." Well, not exactly. more ›

Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes announced yesterday that 125,000 tons of seized knockoff goods would be donated to earthquake victims as a part of Operation Help Haiti. The confiscated goods, worth over $10 million, were taken from a Park Slope storage facility in 2009, and bear such names as Ralph Lauren, Diesel and Ed Hardy. "I feel wonderful. It's a celebration—certainly not a traditional prosecution," said Hynes. more ›

Yesterday morning the crackdown on counterfeit rings on Canal Street continued, just as vendors are surely hitting a busy time of year with fake designer handbags being purchased as holiday gifts. 1010Wins reports that "police raided a block of Canal Street off Broadway including 10 buildings and 30 stalls. During the raid, police said they also found secret rooms inside the buildings where dealers allegedly conducted business." Everything from knock-off Chanel bags to Tiffany-esque jewelry was confiscated. more ›