Manchester fake goods warehouse raid is biggest yet, police say

Police believe the warehouse was a distribution centre for shops selling fake goods

Police have seized over 15 tonnes of suspected counterfeit goods in two raids in Manchester.

Sports clothing, trainers and thousands of pounds in cash were found by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in what officers say is their biggest haul yet.

GMP believe the Cheetham Hill unit was a distribution centre suppling local shops with fake designer goods.

The raids were part of Operation Vulcan which targets the sale of counterfeit items in the area.

National Trading Standards estimates the counterfeit trade to be worth £8.6bn per year, with the Cheetham Hill area linked to almost half of that, the force said.

Brand experts will now review the seized items to see how much they are worth.

The raids were part of Operation Vulcan

Over 200 shops have been closed down and 142 people have been arrested as part of the operation which started in October.

GMP said counterfeit goods with a market value of nearly £500m have been seized, violent crime has gone down by 50%, and theft and robberies have gone down by 50% since the operation began.

Immigration, the border force, the fire service, trading standards as well as Manchester and Salford City Councils, who work with the landlords and issue prohibition notices to stop the premises reopening, have been working with police.

Insp Andy Torkington of GMP said he wanted to make people aware of the link between counterfeit goods and organised crime.

Greater Manchester Police said it wants to help rebuild the Cheetham Hill community

He added: "The money generated from these items fund drugs and gang violence. There are 33 organised crime groups in Cheetham Hill operating in counterfeit crime, Operation Vulcan is about being present and keeping the pressure on.

"We're not taking our foot off the gas. We want this area to return to the thriving business area it was before this criminality took hold."

Ali Parsa says customers are starting to return to his shop

Ali Parsa from local shop UKEW Lighting said he had been forced to move his sales online when customers stopped coming to his shop because of fights and violence in the area.

But he said things had improved and the area had now "completely changed".

"There is a big difference for us," he said. "You feel more safe and also the customers are slowly coming back. People are coming back."

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