€1.3bn of counterfeit goods seized across EU

Counterfeit goods worth €1.3bn were seized at EU borders last year, with Ireland having the biggest increase in the number of seizures last year.

Fake medicines — that are often life threatening — top the list of counterfeits followed by packaging materials including tags, and cigarettes.

Apart from medicines that can contain too much or none of the active ingredient, the number of everyday products that pose dangers to health and safety more than doubled.