Gangs earning €40m a year from trading in counterfeit goods

IRISH criminal gangs are earning about €40 million a year trading in counterfeit goods, an industry body has estimated.

The Irish National Federation Against Copyright Theft (INFACT) said there are in the region of 12 organised crime gangs involved in the business.

INFACT director general Brian Finegan was speaking at a three-day international conference on counterfeiting, hosted jointly by the gardaí and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), together with Interpol, the global police agency.