The largest ever haul of counterfeit goods in UK history has been seized by police - worth a whopping £87million. The 580 tonnes of illegal products - including knock-off clothes, drugs, illicit tobacco, nitrous oxide canisters and vapes - were discovered in a lockup.
More than 100 officers took part in the raids as part of Operation Vulcan which has shut down 100 shops in Manchester, where the lockup was found. Greater Manchester Police estimated the loss to criminals to be about £87m and it is believed the monumental haul could be one of the single biggest in Europe for almost two decades.
Police used covert tactics and gathered intelligence from the community before dishing out warrants at the storage unit in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. Officers then raided 207 shipping containers in 14 days while being assisted by tactical aid teams, dog units, police search advisors and crime scene investigators.
