Fake Olympic goods such as football shirts, sports bags and lighters have been seized by Border Force officers at ports and airports around the UK. The Home Office says that border security operations in the run-up to the Games have intercepted thousands of counterfeit Olympic goods that criminal gangs have tried to smuggle into the UK seeking to make an illegal profit from the London 2012. The biggest haul came at the Port of Felixstowe, where more than 7,000 fake Olympic gym bags were seized.
Around the UK, Border Force officers have foiled plots to smuggle Olympic goods through ports and airports and seized:
540 Olympic branded cigarette lighters at Felixstowe
432 Olympic-themed vests at Dover
15 fake Olympic Adidas football shirts and 90 fake Olympic Polo Ralph Lauren shirts in parcels at Coventry’s international postal hub.
Home Office Minister Damian Green said: ‘Counterfeiting is not a harmless crime but a criminal enterprise posing a serious economic threat estimated to be worth around £1.3 billion in the UK each year. In this Olympic summer our officers have utilised intelligence sources, scanner technology and search techniques to successfully thwart those seeking to illegally profit from the Games. Border Force officers at ports and airports around the UK help monitor inbound freight to safeguard our communities from the illegal import of harmful items such as drugs, weapons and counterfeit goods.’
See also the Met Police website.
