Tourists and locals who buy products from illegal street sellers can now be slapped with a huge fine of up to £642 thanks to a new law in Majorca. Palma Police successfully applied the city’s new ordinance, which came into place on May 26, by imposing the first fines on people who bought products from unlicensed street sellers.
Knock-off sunglasses and fake handbags have long been a fixture of tourist destinations in Spain. Every year, hordes of tourists purchase drinks, food items, fake designer clothes and accessories from street vendors; however, they should be aware that this purchase may now come with a fine or even an arrest. Despite being illegal, police have so far struggled to clamp down on the trade.
And now police in the ‘Litoral’ district, which covers the area by the sea from Can Pere Antoni, a beach located near the city centre, to Arenal are attempting a fresh crackdown on the budget goodies.
In one recent case, Palma Police seized eleven sunglasses from an illegal seller who was issued a fine. Meanwhile, the buyer was fined for “making a purchase from an unlicensed street vendor on the public way”, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reports.
The crackdown means buyers can be fined between £85 to £642, whilst sellers face higher fines from £642 to £1,281.
However, although fines are handed out to the sellers, they are often not paid as typically they have no known address to which the fine notice can be sent.
Provisions for purchasing from illegal vendors are nothing new, as there has been an ordinance in place since 2018. Most of the May 26 set of bylaws updated the existing regulations.
In a bid to alert locals and tourists, the town hall has launched an information campaign to warn people of the risks of purchasing products from unauthorised vendors.
The police emphasise that this type of trade harms legal establishments and can result in a hefty financial penalty for the buyer.
This means UK holidaymakers jetting off to the Mediterranean country may want to brush up on Spanish regulations before heading to the popular tourist spot to avoid landing themselves in hot water.
