£33k worth of fake goods seized in Walsall raids
Counterfeit designer clothing, sunglasses and cigarettes were among a haul of illegal goods worth more than £33,000 that were seized during a raid on a market and two shops in Walsall.
Trading Standards officers and Walsall Police found the goods during separate raids at Bescot Market and shops in Caldmore and Birchills. Around 35,000 illegal cigarettes were found.
The cigarettes, worth around £13,000, were seized during the raids, which were carried out yesterday morning and afternoon.
Most of the haul was unearthed at the shop in Caldmore, where the majority of the cigarettes were found behind false walls and in various hiding places.
A tobacco detection dog was brought in to help with the search.
Meanwhile, officers uncovered items purporting to be well-known brands such as Ugg boots, Converse trainers, Dr Dre Beats headphones, Ralph Lauren, Fred Perry and Lacoste knitwear, Louis Vuitton belts and Ray-Ban sunglasses at Bescot Market on Sunday.
Officials say had the items been genuine, they would have been worth more than £20,000.
Officers also discovered some counterfeit tobacco, which was taken away after a search was conducted of a number of vehicles at the market.
Councillor Zahid Ali, portfolio holder for public protection at Walsall Council, said people should be wary of buying items that seemed to be a bargain.
He added: "Fake goods are often of poor quality and as a basic rule if the deal seems too good to be true it probably is.
"Counterfeit goods can be identified in a number of ways.
"They tend to be sold at much lower prices than the genuine products with an inferior finish and appearance.
"Some brands of goods such as Gucci, Lacoste and Chanel are also not usually found legitimately on sale by traders at markets or car boots."
He pledged that the council would continue to crack down on the sale of counterfeit goods in the borough.
"Working alongside our partners we will continue to track down, seize and investigate the sale of illegal goods throughout the borough and would warn those involved in the sale of counterfeit items that they could face prosecution and the possible loss of assets under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act," he said.
