£1.5m of illegal goods seized in Newcastle
The biggest ever haul of counterfeit goods in Newcastle has been seized.
The contraband discovered at self-storage premises is believed to have a retail value of more than £1.5m and have been destined for the Christmas market.
Acting on a tip-off from Border Force, trading standards officers called at the premises on Monday and found four containers filled with illegal merchandise in quantities far exceeding anything they had seen before. Further lorry loads were arriving as officers were examining the find.
It’s believed the containers were acting as an illegal “fulfilment house” – a kind of stock warehouse filled with merchandise from China. Foot soldiers would then be sent to the house to collect goods labelled with bar codes and then despatch them throughout the UK, often not knowing what the product is.
Among the haul were Omega, Casio G Shock and Swatch watches, Chanel, Bvlgari and Vivienne Westwood jewellery, Adidas, New Balance, On Cloud and Hoka trainers, Arc'teryx and Patagonia clothing, Dr Martens boots and Apple Air Pods. Also, belts purses and handbags among other things.
Trading standards officer Paul Leighton said: “It was like walking into a department store, but nothing is real. It’s on a level I have never come across. I’ve heard of this kind of thing in London, Birmingham and Manchester but never seen it in the North East.
“Some of the goods were labelled up to be sold on respected online selling platforms which suggests they were passing them off as the genuine article making the haul extremely valuable.
“We’ve come across 5,951 pairs of trainers which probably retail on average at £100 a pair so we’ve found almost £600,000 in trainers alone.”
The storage business was unaware that the merchandise on its premises was illegal.
The council has called in brand experts who work on behalf of the big labels, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Group who are liaising with the various brand representatives and trademark holders to formally confirm the goods are fake. This can lead to prosecutions by the companies and the council.
Deputy leader of Newcastle City Council, Cllr Alex Hay, who has responsibility for regulatory services, said: “I would like to congratulate our trading standards team for their brilliant work in preventing these goods flooding the Christmas market. They have disrupted a major illegal enterprise conning the public and probably funding organised crime here and abroad.
“People may think that buying counterfeit goods is a victimless crime, but electronics can overheat and start fires, fragrances can burn skin, medicines can cause serious side effects and clothing, and jewellery can quickly fall apart.
“It fuels organised crime, exploits labour and evades taxes that support public services while depriving legitimate businesses of much-needed income they put into research and development.
“We would urge people to take extra care when buying goods this Christmas. Do you really want to give your loved one a fake gift?”
Phil Lewis, Director General of The Anti-Counterfeiting Group said: “ACG congratulates Newcastle City Trading Standards on the seizure of an exceptional haul of fake goods.
“Working on the basis of intelligence from UK Border Force is a true sign that collaboration and shared information can overcome, what is now a 21st century international crime wave that is enabling organised transnational illicit trades, including forced labour, people smuggling, modern day slavery, drugs and weapons.
“Over 80% of counterfeit products arrive from China and Hong Kong and the removal of these from the market will impact on criminal profits, but also prevent increasing dangers to the public.
“Many of these fakes will seem risk free at first sight, but in reality counterfeit jewellery and watches can often contain toxic substances such as lead and cadmium, while innocent looking clothing embrace contaminates that pose noxious colour stabilisers and dyes.
“The success of this operation reveals how important Trading Standards is to the overall UK enforcement ecosystem and ACG will continue to work to ensure Trading Standards teams are adequately resourced to ensure a more protective environment exists across the UK."
The hundreds of boxes of goods will now be removed to a secure location and stored as evidence while an investigation is carried out. They will eventually be debranded, and repurposed, recycled or burned for energy.