CLIFTON — A Paterson woman was arrested Monday for allegedly selling thousands of fake designer handbags out of a Clifton storefront disguised as a Halal butcher shop.

According to a joint statement from Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik and Clifton Police Chief Gary Giardina, Clifton Officer Adam Droubi was on Crooks Avenue when he noticed customers leaving the market with shopping bags full of purses.

He found the doors to the business blocked by peg boards, but looked inside to see dozens of women's handbags.

Eventually, an employee invited him inside and began to show him bags bearing the trademarks of Coach, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Chanel and others. The worker also quoted him prices "which he immediately recognized as inconsistent with the true prices of designer women's bags," Berdnik and Giadiana said.

As the investigation continued, employees eventually confessed that the bags were fakes, and the shop's owner, 38-year-old Cynthia Bascope, was advised that they would be seized.

In all, detectives took more than 1,475 items from the shop, including sunglasses, belts, watches, suitcases, wallets and cell phone cases. Representatives of the designer brands were also called in to verify that the inventory was counterfeit, Berndik and Giardina said.

Bascope, who also goes by Cynthia Mansilla, was arrested and charged with possessing and offering for sale counterfeit goods. She is being held in the Passaic County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bond, authorities said.

She is the latest Passaic County shopkeeper to be busted for selling counterfeit goods over recent weeks.

On April 2, three business owners in the city of Passaic were arrested by sheriff's detectives for selling similar items in their shops on Lexington Avenue and Main Avenue.