UK agencies update Euro 2024 counterfeit haul

Border Force agents across the UK seized fake football apparel worth an estimated £446,681 (around $575,00) in and around the Euro 2024 championships, a big increase from the approximately £100,000 reported in July.

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, which contributed  to the enforcement operation alongside Border Force and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), said of the update: "While a fake football shirt may seem like a harmless bargain, the proceeds from counterfeit goods can often fund other criminal activity such as money laundering, forced labour and drug operations, with counterfeiting now thought to be the second largest source of criminal income worldwide after illegal drugs."

Figures from the IPO show that the annual loss to the economy through counterfeiting and piracy is £9bn. In addition, they have been estimated to cost around 80,000 jobs in the UK each year.