UK police take down counterfeit logo factory

The ongoing crackdown on the counterfeit trade in Manchester, UK, has achieved another major victory with the bust of a factory dedicated to the production of illicit logos of designer goods intended to be used on fake goods.

A raid on the unit at Knowsley Street in the heart of the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester revealed five rooms storing counterfeit items, a badging factory and a large quantity of cannabis - worth £2,500 – exposing once again the overlap between different forms of criminal activity. The seized counterfeit items were worth an estimated £800,000 (almost $1m).

Badging factories are used by criminals to try and avoid detection by law enforcement, said Greater Manchester Police. They import 'blank' items and affix counterfeit designer logos, badges, and tags onto the unbranded items.

“Dismantling such operations is a great result…as it cuts off the supply line right at the source,” said GMP in a statement on the takedown.

The latest action was part of Operation Vulcan which has targeted the counterfeit goods trade in Cheetham Hill as well as the nearby Strangeways area.

Operation Vulcan Chief Inspector Andy Torkington said the team would work with local police to "ensure the counterfeit goods trade and associated criminality cannot creep back in,” adding: "Joint activity such as this is a show of strength and a reminder to the criminals of our continued presence here.”