A HUGE haul of fake goods worth an estimated é250,000 has been seized in a raid by trading standards officers.
More than 4,500 items of counterfeit clothing, plus é9,500 in cash, were discovered at an address in Cheetham Hill.
The haul includes trainers, handbags, watches and sunglasses bearing the trademarks of well-known brands.
Officers from Manchester council's trading standards services raided the premises with the support of the police and brand owners including Adidas, Evisu, Stone Island and Timberland.
It was part of an ongoing operation to stop the supply of counterfeit goods.
Andrew Ashworth, acting head of trading standards, said: "We intend to carry out more raids in the near future.
Prosecution
"The money seized will be passed to the Asset Recovery Agency."
Sellers of counterfeit goods face possible prosecution under the Trades Act 1994.
Anyone found guilty under the Act could face up to 10 years in prison as well as a fine.
Coun Neil Swannick, the city council's executive member for planning and the environment, said: "This is part of an initiative to clamp down on sellers of counterfeit goods.
"We are aware that counterfeit goods cause a real problem to legitimate traders and we have a duty to protect them as well as consumers."
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Ace Riley, manchester (14/02/2007 at 13:56)
purple tim, runcorn (14/02/2007 at 16:20)
Ace Riley, manchester (14/02/2007 at 22:37)
Ive seen traners at 150quid a pair and a pair of jeans at around the same price and some of the other so called designer goods? costing hundreds of pounds for bits of clothing ,and handbags at a thousand pounds and you wonder why theres a industry forging these products? if the price of these producs were reasonable (so that the kids could afford them) maybe the snide goods would cease.?I even saw a program where the guy who wore a pair of trainers just once then threw them in the dustbin? he said that he only wore trainers once? What mind works like this??Wearing up to ten pairs of very expensive trainers then bin them???
LookingForLogic, stockport (15/02/2007 at 01:21)
Thankfully my kids don't ask for the big brands ( though theres every chance they will in the future ).
I wonder if the brands that paid for the copyrights which have been breached are paying the bill for the police hours spent catching the counterfeiters>>?
Colin W, Stockholm (15/02/2007 at 05:48)
mancunian, australia (15/02/2007 at 06:37)
Ace Riley, manchester (15/02/2007 at 12:08)
Never gave that a thought? who pays for the policing?? (no doubt its us the ratepayers?)
Shaken, Bury (15/02/2007 at 12:27)
LookingForLogic, stockport (16/02/2007 at 00:24)
Would the MEN be interested in following up who funded the police operation?
Im sure we'd all like to see it in writing?
William Gauk Jones, Cotswolds (16/02/2007 at 13:22)
Manc Who Escaped, Manchester (18/02/2007 at 07:01)