Pandora has teamed up with Amazon to crack down on a China-based criminal network that sold counterfeit jewellery in several European countries. 

Pandora’s IP & Brand Protection team launched the investigation in 2020 after a series of customs seizures. In a collaboration with Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, they were able to link the activity to two sellers operating a large-scale counterfeit network out of China.

The two companies later assisted Chinese police in a raid and seizure of thousands of fake Pandora jewellery items. The operators of the ring were sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Shanghai.

“This successful collaboration with Amazon shows how impactful joint efforts can be in stopping counterfeiting operations,” said Peter Ring, SVP general counsel at Pandora.

“This case marks an important step forward in our ongoing efforts to safeguard the integrity of our brand and the quality our customers expect and trust us to deliver,” he continued.

“While we’ve made significant progress over the past five years, our mission remains clear – we won’t rest until we drive counterfeits to zero,” added Kebharu Smith, director of Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit.

Last year, Pandora assisted in the removal of half a million websites, social media accounts and other online content advertising fake products. The company has also supported the seizure of approximately 100,000 counterfeit products globally.

Pandora primarily sells its jewellery through its global network of more than 2700 concept stores and its official e-commerce site. The brand does not sell its products through Amazon but is working with the company to combat counterfeit items.

Last year, the brand announced its goal to switch to 100 per cent recycled gold and silver in the manufacturing of its jewellery.