£1m of fake goods seized in police raid
COUNTERFEIT GOODS FOUND IN SWOOP ON BRITAIN’S ‘KNOCK-OFF CAPITAL’
A POLICE raid on the UK’s ‘counterfeit capital’ in Manchester has netted fake goods worth £1m.
The mile-long stretch of shops on Bury New Road, between Cheetham Hill and Strangeways, was last year named in a government report as the country’s knock-off hub.
Seven ‘illegal’ shops outside Strangeways prison were targeted in the latest anti-counterfeit crackdown.
Police said a total of £1m counterfeit items were seized. Dramatic images of the raid issued by police show investigators using high-powered circular saws to cut through roller-shutter doors to gain access to the stores.
Police issued a pre-Christmas warning to shoppers looking to the area for a bargain.
A spokesman said: “They are not bargains. They are cheap, sub-standard and dangerous.” The force also warned that money made from the sale of fake clothing, toys, electrical goods and other items was being used to ‘fund organised crime.’ It’s not known whether any arrests were made in connection with the raids on Thursday. Posting on Facebook, the north Manchester division of Greater Manchester Police said: “Today, with our partners, officers took part in an operation on Bury New Road targeting those selling counterfeit goods.
“Seven illegal shops were found with one million pounds worth of counterfeit items seized.
“They are not bargains they are cheap, sub-standard and dangerous. The money made by the shops goes to fund organised crime.
“GMP and our partners will not tolerate this.”
In a huge raid on the area last May, fake designer clothes, sunglasses and perfume together worth an estimated £8m – and more than £270,000 in cash – were seized by investigators.
In January 2016, a government document named the area of Manchester as the ‘counterfeit capital’ of the UK.
According to the Intellectual Property Office, the trade in fake brands continues to flourish in the area despite a series of high-profile operations.
Authorities also claimed that the many of the counterfeiters based in the area are selling to a global market - with much of their trade also being conducted online.
They are not bargains. They are cheap, substandard and dangerous Police spokesman