Counterfeit goods worth over £200K seized by Trading Standards Officers

The Trading Standards Service (TSS) have seized a substantial quantity of counterfeit goods following two days of targeted inspections across Northern Ireland.

The counterfeit goods have an estimated retail value of over £200,000 and include branded clothing, trainers, handbags, mobile phone covers, chargers, headphones and ear pods.

TSS received intelligence from trademark holders who identified that local retailers were selling counterfeit goods which infringed their intellectual property. TSS also received a number of complaints from consumers who had purchased what they believed to be genuine branded clothing, only to discover that the items were fake and of extremely poor quality. Some consumers even attempted to return the items to store, only to be refused a refund.

Thousands of counterfeit items were seized from five retail premises in Bangor, Belfast, Lisburn and Derry.

Nicholas Lane, TSS Area Inspector, said: “Counterfeiting is often seen as a victimless crime but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It is widely known that organised crime groups use the sale of these goods to fund their illegal activity such as money laundering, forced labour and drug operations, which can have a devastating impact on the wider community.”

Mr Lane continued: “Counterfeit goods are produced with little regard for the safety of consumers or the workers who make them, so consumers often end up with poor quality, potentially dangerous products. Traders selling fake goods also harm the local economy by undermining legitimate retail businesses and traders, who pay taxes and provide genuine jobs for people. TSS will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any trader found to be selling counterfeit goods.”