Designer gear worth millions seized from Greenford warehouse

Fake Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Mulberry handbags worth at least £7million - if they were the real thing -were among a huge haul of counterfeit designer goods uncovered in a joint operation by Ealing Council and police at the weekend.

The handbags, suitcases, scarves and other accessories were discovered at a storage premises in Greenford on Saturday 9 March following an investigation by the council’s trading standards team and the police.

Experts representing some of the copyright and trademark holders were also present to identify the infringing goods. Genuine versions of some of the items sell for several thousand pounds.
Officers discovered a storage unit full of goods as well as a van carrying some back from a market.

Counterfeit copies included:
* Louis Vuitton suitcases, belts, handbags and make-up bags
* Chanel scarves and handbags
* Hermés purses
* UGG, DKNY and Paul’s Boutique bags

Bags containing spare ‘designer’ labels and logos were also found which officers believe were to be attached to goods later.

Ealing Council leader, Julian Bell said: “This was a good result and the volume of goods found shows just how big the designer fakes business is. Some people may think they’re picking up a bargain when they buy a fake but the quality is usually dreadful and this industry is often linked to organised crime.

“We want to protect legitimate businesses and protect the public from being ripped off by cracking down on criminal behaviour. We are grateful for the help from the trademark holders. The more copies that are out there the greater the chance of people being ripped off. I would hate to think that fakes such as these could end up being sold as the ‘real thing’ on an online auction site for example.”

Three men were arrested by Ealing Police for breaching the Trademarks Act 1994. A private dwelling was also searched by the police as part of the investigation.
Items have been seized for further investigation.

14th March 2013