France joined other EU countries in an effort to seize vast quantities of counterfeit merchandise this year, with many items related to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Heracles was a son of Zeus who symbolized strength and courage. In a nod to Greek mythology — and in anticipation of an increase in illicit sports merchandise during the Paris 2024 games — France assigned a special team of customs officials to flex their muscles under the banner "Operation Heracles."

On August 1, the French Ministry in Charge of Public Accounts announced that 80 of those officials had seized 145,000 counterfeit items in eastern Paris, simultaneously dismantling a workshop where fake products were being made.

Operation Heracles was part of a broader anti-counterfeiting operation of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), French customs and the customs bureaus of several other EU member states. A press statement highlighted the separate seizure of 500,000 counterfeit items, of which 50,000 were directly related to the Olympics, and the involvement of 5,800 French customs officials in monitoring merchandise related to the Paris 2024 games.

The counterfeit goods included soccer jerseys, athletic footwear, keychains, stickers, toys, glasses and even Olympic medals.

According to French financial publication Les Echos, France has seen a four-fold increase in the volume of counterfeit merchandise seized since 2019.