It's not every day Alachua County deputies drive to the jail with Kate Spade, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton in their backseat.
But after the "largest recent find" of counterfeit merchandise in the county during the weekend, sheriff's office spokesman Art Forgey said designer names are now on law enforcement's radar.
"We haven't pursued these kinds of crimes very aggressively in the past," Forgey said. "This incident has really thrust the crime more into the spotlight."
Forgey said a woman had the merchandise on display for sale in a hotel meeting room.
He said someone let the sheriff's office know about the merchandise, and an investigator from a high-end fashion company verified the articles were fakes.
If they had been legitimate, the items would have been valued at more than $120,000, he said.
Deputies bagged 186 fake items featuring 15 designer names.
Forgey said the purses, wallets, jewelry and sunglasses are sitting in the sheriff's office evidence room and will be destroyed when the case is closed.
He said the case has been handed to the State Attorney's Office, which will determine whether the woman caught with the merchandise will be charged.
Deputies could not release the woman's name because she has not been charged, Forgey said.
The sheriff's office released a notice about the find on Tuesday with a photo of the purses and wallets piled on the floor where they were found at the SpringHill Suites owned by Marriott, located at 4155 SW 40th Blvd.
Patty Johnson, hotel assistant general manager, said hotel staff didn't realize the woman's merchandise was counterfeit, and once managers found out, they asked the woman and her assistant to leave.
