Warning to shoppers as police seize £1m of counterfeit goods

Published on Wednesday 9 December 2009 09:24

FAKE Rolex watches and Dolce & Gabbana dresses were among £1 million worth of counterfeit goods seized during a raid on a Lothian house.

Police and officials from Trading Standards uncovered thousands of suspected knock-offs intended for sale over the Christmas period.

Copies of handbags, clothing, shoes, jewellery and watches from a host of designer labels were confiscated following the swoop on the home in Bathgate.

The goods are believed to have been smuggled into the UK after being made in sweatshops in China or other Far Eastern countries.

Trading Standards said some of the copies were virtually indistinguishable from the real products, while others were cheap imitations.

Jewellery from Links of London and Pandora, Ugg boots, watches from Tag Heuer and Rolex, and clothing from Dolce & Gabbana were among the haul.

The raid followed a tip-off from a member of the public that the house was being used to store the goods, which were likely to be sold in pubs, markets, workplaces or via the internet.

A woman was detained and questioned during the operation on Friday morning, and may face charges once checks confirm the items seized were fakes.

A four-figure sum of cash was also confiscated by officers as suspected proceeds of crime.

Police chiefs today warned festive shoppers to be on their guard against the counterfeit items as the profits are funnelled into organised crime.

A number of reports of salesmen peddling fake goods on the streets across the Lothians have been made in recent weeks, with leather jackets and other clothing on offer.

Trading Standards highlighted fake items including DVDs, CDs, iPods, games consoles, universal battery chargers, GHD hair straighteners and Ugg boots.

Ken Inglis, of West Lothian Council's Trading Standards office, said: "After securing a warrant, we confiscated a large amount of what we believe were counterfeit goods. They are now being sent to the trademark holders to verify that.

"A total of 1m worth of goods was our ballpark estimate of what they could be sold for. They are sold for a fraction of what the real products cost, perhaps 10 per cent.

"They were being stored in boxes and piled up in different rooms in the house. Some were very good copies – unless you had the genuine article next to it, you might not tell the difference. Others you would realise they were cheap copies once you had them in your hand."

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Crawford, of Livingston CID , said a dozen police officers were involved in the joint operation with Trading Standards.

He said: "The intelligence on this home was gathered as part of Operation Focus 2, which has been targeting criminals and suspects in West Lothian. That identified an address in Bathgate where counterfeit products were being stored.

"The sale of counterfeit goods is linked to organised crime groups who make significant amounts of money from it. We would urge the public looking for presents not to touch these goods.

We are working to trace others who may be involved in the delivery, storage and distribution of such goods."