French police have seized 20 tonnes of miniature Eiffel Towers, security sources have told AFP.
It is part of a crackdown on the souvenirs which are offered illegally to tourists around visitor hotspots in Paris.
Five small metal trinkets are often sold for €1.
A joint investigation involving French immigration authorities led to raids on three Chinese wholesalers who are suspected of importing the towers and supplying a network of vendors in Paris.
More than 1,000 boxes, containing in total 20 tonnes of miniature Eiffel Towers, were seized from two depots and three shops in the Paris region this week, a security source told AFP, confirming a report in Le Parisien newspaper.
Nine people have been arrested.
