Bogus Oakley Operation Busted in Bangkok

Oakley Inc. officials and Thailand police have uncovered a major counterfeit operation in Bangkok, the sunglass maker’s first successful raid on a manufacturing plant outside the U.S., Oakley officials said. Twenty police officers and 11 Oakley-hired investigators last week confiscated 24,000 sunglasses in various stages of assembly, along with manufacturing equipment, including machines that cut lenses and apply trademarks. The Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based company declined to put a retail value on the products seized, but counterfeit Oakley sunglasses often sell for $10 to $20 a pair, compared with $65 to $315 for the real thing.