£250,000 fake goods seized

Paul R Taylor

July 05, 2007

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Some of the fake goods seized in the raids

BOGUS goods worth an estimated £250,000 were seized during raids on Salford Market.

The counterfeit haul included more than 14,000 DVDs, CDs and computer games, along with clothing, trainers, jewellery and perfume.

Police arrested four people on suspicion of selling counterfeit goods and illegally claiming benefits during raids last week, which were reported in the Manchester Evening News They have all been released on bail. Insp Alan Smith said: "We need to stress to people that selling counterfeit goods is criminal and totally disregards the law."

Items seized during Operation Overload included pirate copies of films currently being shown in cinemas such as Shrek the Third and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Also seized were latest Playstation 2 games, as well as chart, dance music and karaoke CDs.

The swoop follows months of surveillance on the market, next to Salford Shopping City on Market Way, Pendleton. Officers studied CCTV images and used test purchasers.

Coun Jimmy Hunt said: "The production and sale of counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime - it has a serious effect on the entertainment and clothing industry."

Officers from the Department of Work and Pensions found some people had claimed thousands of pounds in illegal benefits. The officers gathered intelligence over 12 months.

Department spokesman Alan Millar said: "This investigation has led us to uncover various aspects of fraud. The public is fed up with benefit thieves stealing money intended for society's most vulnerable."

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Ms D, Manchester (05/07/2007 at 10:09)

"This has a serious effect on the clothing industry" - well, I don't particularly care in comparison to house burglaries which are more devastating and don't seem to warrant the same level of investigations these days.
I don't buy fake goods myself but I can understand people who do because they can't afford the rip off prices of these designer goods.

ace, manchester (05/07/2007 at 11:44)

Insp Alan Smith said: "We need to stress to people that selling counterfeit goods is criminal and totally disregards the law."

What i cannot understand is why arnt the police this adamant with real criminals.I see kids driving cars/bikes without any helmets/Ect and the police just sit back and watch??The reason the police crack down hard on these people is they are looking after the money peoples interest in britain (the factory owners and the record industry) just see how hard the powers work when people download pirate cds ect from the net .all hell breaks loose if you steal from the wealthy.....

ace, manchester (05/07/2007 at 11:47)

Have you noticed how hard the police work if you steal from the wealthy?pirate dvds Ect. How hard they work when joe public downloads a cheap DVD?Nothing has changed in britain really its just the industry? the police protected the mill owners a hundred years ago ,Now they protect the billion pound record industry and fashion industry..(PROTECT THE RICH) nothing has changed.

Dave Sherwood, Hollins Green (05/07/2007 at 11:59)

If these DVD and music companies and clothing stores did not put such high prices of their goods then people would be able to afford the real thing.I travel all over Europe and have to agree Britain is the most expensive.

ace, manchester (05/07/2007 at 12:13)

Dave Sherwood, Hollins Green
If you look at britain over the years the government have kept its people under control by making things expensive so nothing has changed there?

Bill, Kiriat Motzkin (05/07/2007 at 12:19)

I know most readers hate this idea, but use Euros instead of Pounds in Britain. Then, each time you leave the country, you will easily see how much you are being ripped off.

Ms D, Manchester (05/07/2007 at 12:34)

Bill,
I happen to agree with you - I couldn't care less about the pound. If Euros give us more for our money, bring it on. It will happen soon enough as the younger generations do not care what type of money they are being paid with, as long as it gets them more for it. It's only the older generation that hangs onto this British identity thing. That went out of the window years ago.

The Catcher, In the Rye (05/07/2007 at 12:59)

If these peole had been making counterfeit jam would there have been such a fuss when the announced the job losses at Robertsons the other day? Counterfeitting leads to job losses. To collude with the offenders. If you want it - pay the proper price. If you can't afford - don't covet it.

ace, manchester (05/07/2007 at 15:29)

Ms D, Manchester
Its funny how this so called older money always seems to hold up better than the euro on the money markets?? while the euro keeps dipping to lows the pound always seems to stay level? I wonder sometimes that new dosnt always mean better?? old is a tried and tested way .through generations .

walker, Germany (05/07/2007 at 16:46)

I couldn't care less who buys what!But what i do feel strongly about.Is the Euro.We in Germany have been very painfully ripped off.It really is a con.UK.Stick to the Pound.

Bill, Kiriat Motzkin (05/07/2007 at 19:16)

My granny and everyone her age said the same thing about decimalization as many say about the Euro. My point is that since Britain is such a ripoff, it is hard to see how prices could go any higher, especially as the comparison is so much easier.
But back on topic, the people that set prices for designer stuff only have themselves to blame for their losses.

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