Toronto police say an 18-month investigation into counterfeit goods has led to the seizure of $12 million worth of fake luxury items.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday morning, police said counterfeit designer handbags and accessories as well as Beats by Dre headphones and fake Blue Jays jerseys were all seized as part of the investigation, dubbed Project Pace II.

In Oct. 2014, police seized purses, perfume, and jewelry bearing luxury trademarks from a store called L.A. Boutiques and later targeted three businesses on Spadina Avenue that were also selling counterfeit goods.

During the World Series playoffs, police say four people were charged after selling fake Blue Jays jerseys near the Rogers Centre.

Operators of a GTA flea market booth were also a target in Project Pace II.

Investigators say the booth was connected to an organized counterfeiting ring and with the assistance of Peel Regional Police and Halton Regional Police, eight search warrants were executed, leading to the seizure of $3 million in counterfeit goods as well as a pressing machine that makes counterfeit labels.

Police were also recently tipped off to the sale of fake Beats headphones in the Toronto area after investigators in the U.S. discovered that counterfeit versions of the high-end headphones were being sold through Groupon.

According to police, a business operating out of Montreal sold thousands of Beats headphones to the online daily deals website for $1 million.

Police say after numerous quality complaints were made, Apple confirmed that the products were not genuine beats.

The Toronto Police Service’s financial crimes unit discovered that thousands of headphones manufactured by the same Montreal company were being sold here in Toronto.

During the course of their investigation, police say 1,500 headphones were seized at a value of $100,000.

Lawyer Lorne Lipkus, who spoke on Tuesday's news conference, said that many people willingly support the manufacturers of counterfeit items.

“At the core of this, people that are buying a purse, or buying a luxury good or buying a counterfeit Beats product, anyone who is doing that, you are supporting people who like to keep young children out of school and (use them as) underage labourers in factories in other countries. You are supporting slave labour," he said. 

"That is why we try to be as vigilant as we can."