Northern Ireland

Computers and £77,000 in cash seized in anti-counterfeiting raids

Computers and £77,000 in cash are among items seized by the PSNI in anti-counterfeiting raids
Computers and £77,000 in cash are among items seized by the PSNI in anti-counterfeiting raids

COMPUTERS, TVs, set-top boxes and £77,000 in cash have been seized during searches in north and west Belfast.

Police investigating counterfeiting searched two businesses and two houses in a planned operation on Wednesday.

The probe also involved FACT, the UK's intellectual property protection organisation.

Detective Chief Inspector Gary Reid said fake goods are not a "victimless" crime and urged people not to buy them.

"It is not harmless and there are real victims as a consequence of people's actions in buying such products such as inadvertently supporting organised crime gangs and criminals through what might seem harmless purchases," he said.

"Police need the support of the community to help tackle this hidden crime."