More than 500 tonnes of counterfeit goods has been seized by police from shipping containers at a storage unit in Cheetham Hill in what's being described as a 'record haul in UK history'.
Greater Manchester Police said the mammoth seizure - collectively worth an estimated £87m - was also the largest single seizure in Europe in almost two decades.
Teams of officers spent 14 days breaking into 206 shipping containers from the unit, which was said by the force to be 'tucked away on the outskirts of Cheetham Hill'.
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In total, 580 tonnes of counterfeit items were found - including 'monumental quantities' of counterfeit clothes, drugs, illicit tobacco, Nitrous Oxide canisters and counterfeit vapes, GMP said in a statement on Monday night.
The seizure forms part of the hard-hitting and ongoing Operation Vulcan crackdown on shops selling fake and dangerous goods in the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas of Manchester - and the gangs responsible for their illegal trade.
"The total loss to the criminal's pockets equates to a staggering £87 million," said the force in a statement, as they described Vulcan as 'the UK's largest police operation to tackle the counterfeit trade'.
"The search warrants were developed from a covert operation and intelligence from the community and partners and saw a combination of over 100 officers and multiple agencies working together. An intensive investigation is now underway to trace where these items originated and to ensure those involved are arrested.
"Not only was this the largest seizure of counterfeit goods in UK history, but it's believed to be one of the largest single seizures worldwide."
Branding experts and Lighthouse Security, which repurposes the counterfeit items, joined police teams at the scene over the last two weeks.
Photographs released by GMP show officers with angle grinders breaking off locks to the containers and vast amounts of cardboard boxes as the seizure continued. No arrests have been referenced so far.
Detective Inspector Christian Julien, one of Operation Vulcan's specialist officers said: "This latest seizure by Operation Vulcan elevates Greater Manchester Police onto the global stage, placing us in the top three worldwide for a single seizure of counterfeit items.
"I hope that our work so far has shown the true scale of the counterfeit trade in the UK, the majority of which was on our doorstep here in Manchester. It's important to recognise the serious impact of sophisticated and large-scale counterfeit operations like this and I would like to take this opportunity to remind members of the public of its links to serious organised crime.
"It isn't a bargain so please be under no illusions - this type of crime is not victimless. Criminals are making vast amounts of money from this trade which is being funnelled into fuelling further criminality, exploitation, and misery not just in Manchester, but across the world.
"I'd like to thank each and every officer from across the force who came out to support the operation, and our partner agencies who have diligently contributed to the intelligence gathering and execution. At its heart, Operation Vulcan is a partnership effort, and everything we have achieved is down to the unrelenting efforts of our team and the unwavering support from partners.
"This may be our largest raid to date, but we must continue to build on these efforts to identify the criminal networks behind this activity whose only concern is making a profit, no matter what the cost is to the public."
