Customs seize fake designer clothes worth €300,000

CUSTOM officers have claimed another success in their crackdown on counterfeit goods following the seizure of €300,000 worth of fake designer clothes.

It is the 59th seizure of counterfeit goods by customs so far this year, reflecting the level of trade in the illicit, but lucrative, industry.

The latest haul by customs offices was made on February 25 after a container from Indonesia was searched by staff in Dublin Port.

The consignment of clothes and caps bearing Nike, Ferrari, Polo Lauren, adidas and Levi logos were found in a total of 203 cartons.

"We detained the items, took samples and consulted the brand owners. When their experts confirmed they were counterfeit, we seized them," said Shay Doyle of the Intellectual Property Rights Unit in Customs.

Investigators are preparing a file for solicitors in the Revenue Commissioners The file will eventually be passed on to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Doyle said the goods were destined for Ireland and Britain, and would probably have been sold on market stalls.

He said the seizure was the result of good profiling of shipments by staff in Dublin Port, supported by the Enforcement Unit and Freight and Intelligence Unit of Customs.

Mr Doyle said counterfeiting was a huge trade and earned criminal organisations and paramilitaries large amounts of money.

"It has a big effect on legitimate trade, who we are trying to protect. It effects employment in the industry," Mr Doyle said.

He said the trade has continued to grow in recent years, prompting calls within the European Commission for more action. As a result Customs began targeting the area towards the end of 2000. The file will eventually be passed on to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Doyle said the goods were destined for Ireland and Britain, and would probably have been sold on market stalls.

He said the seizure was the result of good profiling of shipments by staff in Dublin Port, supported by the Enforcement Unit and Freight and Intelligence Unit of Customs.

Mr Doyle said counterfeiting was a huge trade and earned criminal organisations and paramilitaries large amounts of money.

"It has a big effect on legitimate trade, who we are trying to protect. It effects employment in the industry," Mr Doyle said.

He said the trade has continued to grow in recent years, prompting calls within the European Commission for more action.

As a result Customs began targeting the area towards the end of 2000.

Last week, gardaí seized counterfeit sports goods worth an estimated €1.2m in Co Louth.

The haul including quality soccer jerseys for teams such as Manchester, Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers was seized by Dundalk gardaí and the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation at a house in Dromad following a tip-off.