Officers and Trading Standards seize an estimated £6 million in counterfeit goods from industrial units in Rochdale
Approximately £6 million worth of counterfeit goods, including branded sports trainers, perfumes, luxury accessories, high-end tech products, and illicit cigarettes, were seized by GMP officers and Trading Standards in Rochdale. The operation targeted an Organised Crime Gang (OCG) from Cheetham Hill, leading to the arrest of two men aged 70 and 29. The seized goods were recovered with an HGV due to their scale. The operation is part of broader efforts to tackle organised crime, with £17.7 million seized in the last financial year.
£6 Million Counterfeit Goods Seized in Rochdale Business Park Raid
Police uncovered £6 million worth of counterfeit designer goods at a Rochdale business park on Thursday, dismantling what they believe is an expansion operation by a Cheetham Hill crime gang. Officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Rochdale Neighbourhood Policing Team and Trading Standards raided seven units at Crown Top Lane following intelligence reports that organised criminals had established a new base in the Castleton area.
The afternoon raid revealed warehouses packed with fake branded sports trainers, perfumes, luxury accessories, high-end tech products and illicit cigarettes. A 70-year-old man and a 29-year-old man were arrested at the scene on suspicion of possessing and controlling counterfeit goods. Both have been released on bail while investigations continue.
Due to the massive scale of the operation, officers secured the site overnight and returned Friday morning with an HGV to transport the seized goods. The raid forms part of a broader crackdown on organised crime in Rochdale, which has seen police recover £17,715,283.24 in cash and assets from criminals in the past financial year.
Inspector Anthony Taylor of Rochdale NPT said: “Yesterday we made a visit to an industrial unit following intelligence we had received about organised criminality and counterfeit goods. Officers from our Neighbourhood Policing Team, alongside partners from Trading Standards, discovered various high-end counterfeit goods to the estimated value of £6 million.” He urged residents to report any suspicions about organised criminal activity in their area.
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