200,000 dangerous toys about to be sold confiscated in Badalona

BarcelonaAmong the dozens of boxes are Christmas elves, Pikachu costumes for babies, and dolls from the movie Lilo & StitchThese are gifts that many children could have opened this Tuesday morning, after the Three Kings' Day visit to every home. But they were dangerous toys: the Pikachu doll, for example, broke easily into very small pieces that children could swallow. All these boxes were discovered in several storage units in Badalona. There were many toys, up to 214,000, and the Civil Guard is investigating six people for smuggling products dangerous to children's health. In a statement, the Spanish police made it clear that the toys could cause "blockages, cuts, or injuries" and did not meet any safety standards. In total, the seized merchandise is valued at two million euros, and the boxes were ready to be shipped to the final seller. Behind these storage units were two separate criminal groups that were dismantled in two separate operations. On December 4, 2025, five storage units were searched, and 58,650 toys and 3,621 textile products were seized. A month later, on January 2, another five storage units were searched, where 151,730 allegedly counterfeit items were confiscated. The investigation began by following the trail of several counterfeit products that arrived in Catalonia, which led investigators to the storage units in Badalona.

Crimes against industrial property and smuggling

The suspects, aged between 30 and 47, are accused of alleged crimes against industrial property and smuggling. The seized material was handed over to the Badalona investigating court, which is handling the case. The operation was led by the Fiscal and Borders Unit of the Civil Guard at the port of Barcelona. The Civil Guard, in the same statement, recommends purchasing products from authorized establishments and being wary of sales channels that "do not offer guarantees."