NI Police seize £180,000 in counterfeit clothing

A police crackdown on Northern Ireland’s counterfeit clothes trade has scored one of its biggest ever successes after goods worth £180,000 (€291,338) on the street were seized, it emerged today.

Designer labels such as Gap, Nike, Levi’s and Diesel were among the haul recovered during raids on a number of houses in Co Armagh.

A spokesman for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said specialist CID officers and representatives from the manufacturers concerned will work together to identify the items.

‘‘This is certainly one of the biggest we have ever had,’’ he said.

The swoops were mounted last Friday on premises in Bleary, near Craigavon and Dollingstown, just outside Lurgan.

No arrests were made and inquiries were today continuing, the spokesman confirmed.

The success came as £12,000 (€19,424) worth of illegal and counterfeit goods were confiscated by officers at a market in Co Antrim.

The planned operation took place at Nutt’s Corner yesterday, the scene of several such snatches by police teams in the past few years.

Playstation games, mini compact discs, videos and tobacco were all taken.