Interviews
Counterfeit clothing seized at Stansted
03 Aug '11
2 min read
Counterfeit clothing worth an estimated £750,000 has been seized at Stansted airport.
In a month long operation officers seized approximately 15,000 individual items. All the fake goods had been flown to the UK from Turkey as freight.
Designer brands that have been discovered include Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Hugo Boss, La Martina and Fred Perry.
Sarah Wolstenholme, assistant director, Stansted Airport, UK Border Agency, said:
'Make no mistake, the manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime. The profit that smugglers make from these items is often recycled into other more serious forms of criminality.
'Counterfeit products are also sold on the black market, meaning the Treasury loses vital revenue which has an impact on all law-abiding taxpayers.
'Many people enjoy finding a bargain but counterfeit goods are just the tip of the criminal iceberg. Quite simply, if a price appears too good to be true, whether found on the internet or at a car boot sale, it probably is.'
Officers operate 24-hours a day at ports, airports and mail sorting centres to prevent counterfeit goods hitting the UK's streets, where they can be bought by unsuspecting members of the public.
The detections at Stansted were made during a month long operation in June. The rights holders have now confirmed the products are fakes.
Sarah Wolstenholme said:
'We often see smugglers adopting quite sophisticated techniques in an attempt to evade detection, but in these three instances there was little subtlety involved.
'The items were all listed simply as courier material, with no commercial value. The fact that such limited information had been provided immediately attracted suspicion.'
After suspected counterfeit goods are detained, officers approach the rights holders to verify that the products are fakes. The company then decides whether or not to bring a private prosecution against the importer. After this process is complete, the goods can be destroyed.
In a month long operation officers seized approximately 15,000 individual items. All the fake goods had been flown to the UK from Turkey as freight.
Designer brands that have been discovered include Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Hugo Boss, La Martina and Fred Perry.
Sarah Wolstenholme, assistant director, Stansted Airport, UK Border Agency, said:
'Make no mistake, the manufacture and sale of counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime. The profit that smugglers make from these items is often recycled into other more serious forms of criminality.
'Counterfeit products are also sold on the black market, meaning the Treasury loses vital revenue which has an impact on all law-abiding taxpayers.
'Many people enjoy finding a bargain but counterfeit goods are just the tip of the criminal iceberg. Quite simply, if a price appears too good to be true, whether found on the internet or at a car boot sale, it probably is.'
Officers operate 24-hours a day at ports, airports and mail sorting centres to prevent counterfeit goods hitting the UK's streets, where they can be bought by unsuspecting members of the public.
The detections at Stansted were made during a month long operation in June. The rights holders have now confirmed the products are fakes.
Sarah Wolstenholme said:
'We often see smugglers adopting quite sophisticated techniques in an attempt to evade detection, but in these three instances there was little subtlety involved.
'The items were all listed simply as courier material, with no commercial value. The fact that such limited information had been provided immediately attracted suspicion.'
After suspected counterfeit goods are detained, officers approach the rights holders to verify that the products are fakes. The company then decides whether or not to bring a private prosecution against the importer. After this process is complete, the goods can be destroyed.
UK Border Agency
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