Police swoop on illegal street traders in Palma

Members of Palma’s Local Police swooped on illegal street traders operating in the Plaza Mayor yesterday and confiscated hundreds of items.The small to medium sized business association, PIMEM, has been complaining to the city council about the unfair competition the illegal street traders pose to local  retailers all summer and yesterday, much to the surprise to scores of tourists, police units flooded the square and caught the illegal street traders before they could gather up their goods and run away.
Many of the traders are believed to be part of organised criminal groups and  the vendors operate a network of lookouts whilst selling their illegal goods, although recent reports have indicated that they now simply ignore the police and carry on regardless, above the law and return to their pitches every day giving the city a bad reputation and image because nearly all of the goods sold are fake.