Police released more than 20 people from inside a Counterfeit Street shop after a young boy told them his mum was trapped inside.
Greater Manchester Police says its officers had been seen patrolling the Strangeways area by 'spotters' - who are regularly seen loitering on the look-out for cops. The spotters then told the owners of an illegitimate shop on Harris Street, off Bury New Road, that police were in the area.
At around 3pm on Tuesday (January 3), GMP says its officers were stopped by a 'panicked' boy, who said his mum had been locked inside the shop. Officers forced entry under section 17 - an emergency warrant that is granted to preserve life - and rescued the mum along with 20 other people who had been trapped inside by shopkeepers spooked by the nearby officers.
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A subsequent search of the building led officers to discover more than £8,000 in cash and two large floors containing counterfeit clothing, shoes, watches, and perfume. GMP says these items will shortly be recycled and repurposed into household items, with anything unsafe being destroyed.
Two men, aged 26 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit trademark offences. Their arrest led to three further locations being searched, which resulted in a further £5,000 cash being recovered and a large amount of counterfeit clothing being seized.
Both men were interviewed and have been bailed with conditions. The work is part of GMP's blitz on dodgy traders in the Strangeways and Cheetham Hill area, known as Operation Vulcan, and the force is vowing to keep up the work in 2023.
Detective Superintendent Neil Blackwood, who is leading Operation Vulcan, said: “We’ve heard whispers that the illegitimate shop owners thought Op Vulcan was just a short-lived operation over Christmas, and that in the New Year, all would be forgotten. I hope this week's action will demonstrate that Op Vulcan is here to stay, and my team and I will be relentlessly pursuing anyone who decides to commit criminality in this area.
“The illicit money made from the counterfeit items funds serious organised crime, and we will do everything in our power to strip criminals of their finances and reinvest it back into communities across Manchester. This latest seizure will make a dent in finances of the serious organised crime gangs operating in the area, but I’d like to take this time to again emphasise the danger that members of the public are in when they shop here."
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