A haul of fake football strips worth over £20,000 has been seized following a sting at Newcastle International Airport.
A consignment which included over 250 strips from an assortment of clubs such as Newcastle United, Liverpool and Real Madrid was seized during a random freight inspection and were found in boxes destined for an address in the west of Newcastle.
When trading standards officers called at the house, the haul was found to included some 130 Newcastle United shirts.
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Newcastle Trading Standards believe the fake strips were manufactured in the Far East for just a few pounds and then being sold over social media at inflated prices, netting a significant profit for their buyer.
The counterfeit strips were being sold for £25 each on social media giving them a street value of £7,500 but the equivalent retail value is put at three times that amount to over £20,000.
It is illegal to sell counterfeit goods under the Trade Marks Act 1994.
The goods have been seized while trading standards conduct a thorough investigation.
Cabinet member for Regulation, including trading standards, Cllr Irim Ali, said: “I’d like to congratulate our trading standards team for finding and seizing this haul of illegal merchandise.
“Fake goods may be tempting as they cost less than the real thing, but they are very often inferior in quality and may be unsafe and dangerous. Of course, they also don’t come with any after-sales service or guarantees.
“The fake goods industry is not victimless crime. Organised crime gangs monopolise the trade in counterfeit goods. In other words, if you buy a fake goods, it can be the final link in a chain that profits criminals who can be involved in various crimes.
“And criminals are going to make the product as quickly and cheaply as they can, with low quality and potentially dangerous materials and ingredients. All they are interested in is maximising their profits.”
Ultimately, the strips will be recycled, re-purposed or destroyed if they cannot be put to good use, Newcastle Trading Standards have confirmed.
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