£500,000 worth of fake football shirts seized ahead of the World Cup

Six people were arrested for offences relating to the distribution and sale of counterfeit goods, and £12,000 in cash was seized.

The raids formed part of a period of enforcement activity coordinated by the Intellectual Property Office and executed by officers from City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in the run-up to the World Cup, which kicks off this weekend.

Officers seized four tonnes of fake football shirts during the raids, with PIPCU warning that major sporting events such as the World Cup provide “a lucrative opportunity for counterfeiters”.

Officers from PIPCU, supported by colleagues from the North West Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit, searched four premises in Leeds, and seized a large quantity of counterfeit England shirts, FIFA World Cup badges and £2,000 in cash.

In Sheffield, officers seized counterfeit football shirts from a storage facility and £10,000 in cash from a residential premises. The merchandise found in Leeds and Sheffield is thought to be worth an estimated loss to the industry of £250,000.

A further £250,000 worth of counterfeit shirts were seized during raids in Bristol and Northampton.

Detective Sergeant Matthew Hussey from PIPCU said: “The increased demand for merchandise from fans who want to show support for their team makes major sporting events like the World Cup a lucrative opportunity for counterfeiters.

“We regularly see links between the counterfeit goods trade and organised criminal groups.

“Counterfeiting is one of the primary methods used by these groups to make money, and enables them to fund serious offences such as drugs trafficking and money laundering.

“We would always urge fans to think twice before buying fake merchandise, and will continue to work with our partners to take action against those who sell it.”

Marcus Evans, deputy director of intelligence and law enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office, added: “As football fans get ready to support their favourite team at the World Cup, criminal networks are seeking to exploit their loyalty for their own financial gain by targeting the market with illegal counterfeit products – with little or no regard for their quality or safety.

“We are pleased to support the intensified enforcement activity to clamp down on the sale of such illicit goods, working in partnership to help protect the public from this type of crime.”

City of London Police said those arrested have since been released under investigation.