Fake designer items worth an estimated £5 million have been seized in police raids on London shops.
Among the haul were Rolex watches, Premier League football shirts, and perfumes.
Law offers targeted two shop in Camden.
From one shop, 2,487 counterfeit football shirts, jewellery and watches were seized – thought to be worth a loss to the industry of £3 million.
In the second shop, a further £2 million worth of counterfeit handbags were found.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of distributing articles infringing trademarks.
They have since been released on street bail, while the items seized will be recycled.
Cllr Richard Olszewski, Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living at Camden Council, said:
“The crackdown on counterfeit goods isn’t about targeting the bargains or quirky buys you can pick up in Camden Town”.
“This is about disrupting a market of illegal, counterfeit goods: knock-off handbags, watches, and fake designer clothes.
“Selling counterfeit goods is a crime.
“Some customers get conned; some get a poor-quality product and it’s not fair on the independent traders who play by the rules.
Detective Sergeant Andrew Masterson, from the Polic Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said:
“There has been a sharp increase in the sale of counterfeit goods in Camden in recent years.
“Selling counterfeit goods is illegal.
“It can be tempting to buy a counterfeit designer product for a fraction of the cost of the real thing, but this can have a bigger impact than many people realise.
“Often, criminals use the profits from counterfeit goods to fuel other organised crime, which can have damaging effects on local communities.
“We hope that this operation sends a clear message that the sale of counterfeit goods will not be tolerated.”
Marcus Evans, Deputy Director of Intelligence and Law Enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), said:
“It is estimated that the sale of counterfeits contributes to more than 80,000 job losses in the UK each year by diverting funds away from legitimate traders and into the hands of criminals.”
