Around £500,000 of fake football shirts, clothing, shoes, furniture and cigarettes were seized from a car boot. Fake Rolexes and shirts from Manchester United and Arsenal were among the 1,579 knock-off products that were seized from stall holders.
Investigators said the goods would have been worth around £530,000 if they were genuine. It comes after police and Trading Standards officers swooped on a car boot in Swanley, Kent, on Sunday.
Kent County Council, along with police and the Anti-Counterfeiting Group made the seizures. Clive Phillips, Kent County Council Trading Standards operations manager, said today (Thurs): “The sale of counterfeit products undermines local legitimate businesses and will not be tolerated.
“Counterfeit products are inferior in quality and do not conform to strict consumer safety standards. It is well documented that in many cases the money made from the sale of fake goods helps to fund organised criminal gangs.
“We will continue to work in partnership with Kent Police and trade mark representatives in cracking down on this illegal activity.”
Graham Mogg, intelligence coordinator at the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG), who attended the raid, said counterfeit goods can fund drug trafficking and money laundering. He added: ‘’The sale of counterfeit goods is often viewed as a low-level crime, but in reality, those that sell counterfeit goods are undermining legitimate businesses and placing consumers at risk of harm from inferior products.
‘’Those involved in this illicit trade do not pay taxes and take much needed revenue from vital public services. ’This activity also funds other more mainstream criminality such as drug trafficking and money laundering.
“The ACG and the National Markets Group for intellectual property protection, applaud the action taken by Kent Trading Standards and Police at the market and we will continue to support them to ensure that consumers and legitimate traders are protected.’’
