Huge haul of counterfeit designer goods worth £200m seized by police

Fake goods worth up to £200m were seized by police. Credit: City of London Police

A huge haul of counterfeit designer goods, including fake watches, sunglasses and handbags, worth £200 million has been seized by police in Southall.

About 84,000 items, mostly counterfeit designer watches, were seized from a storage unit on Bridge Road on 1 November by officers from City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU).

Fake designer watches were among the haul. Credit: City of London Police
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Other items recovered included counterfeit sunglasses, handbags and clothing.

One man was arrested and later released under investigation.

The goods were intended to be distributed amongst various counterfeit retailers and sold to the public, police believe.

The force urged people to consider the crimes that are funded by counterfeit goods and the conditions in which they are made.

Officers from City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit. Credit: City of London Police

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson, from City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), said: “This activity should send a clear message that the trade of counterfeit goods will not be tolerated.

"We will continue to take enforcement action in the area with our partners, and work to identify the organised crime groups that sit behind this criminal activity.

“Our work will have seriously disrupted the trade of counterfeit watches in the lead up to Christmas, and it is vital for the public to remember that you don’t know what crimes you are funding when buying counterfeit goods, or the conditions that those who produce them are working in.”