Police raid on Camden High Street uncovers over 1,000 counterfeit designer bags

Three people have been arrested and a shop has been emptied of around 2,700 counterfeit designer bags, watches, sunglasses and belts during a police raid on Camden High Street.

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service’s Camden Town Centre team raided the shop on 3 September 2024.

Three men, aged 24, 25 and 30 years, were arrested on suspicion of distributing articles infringing trademarks and money laundering offences.

Detective Sergeant Ben Hobbs, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said:

“Selling counterfeit goods is illegal. Some consumers get conned, some end up with a poor-quality product and the money that runs through the counterfeit goods trade funds organised crime.

“This is the third shop on Camden High Street that our officers, with support from several partner agencies, have cleared of counterfeit stock in the space of three months. The message of these regular raids is clear: if you sell counterfeit goods to the public, you will be held to account for your actions.”

Inside the shop, officers found several display racks of counterfeit designer stock, including 1,143 bags and wallets, 130 watches and 176 sunglasses. The items were worth a total estimated loss to the industry of £1 million.

The raid followed search warrants executed on Camden High Street in June and July 2024 as part of an ongoing operation, in coordination with partners including the Metropolitan Police Service, Camden Council Trading Standards, TM Eye and Lighthouse Security, to tackle the counterfeit goods trade in the area.

Inspector Pete Luciano, from the Metropolitan Police's Camden Town Centre Team, said:

"The Metropolitan Police and both Camden Town Centre and Neighbourhood Teams continue to work with City of London Police and our other partners to ensure that Camden Town is a safe place to live, work, visit and enjoy – this also includes what kind of items can be purchased in the area.

"Counterfeit goods can be dangerous for a number of reasons and are both directly and indirectly linked to other crimes such as money laundering, fraud and even modern slavery.

"Operations will continue until this matter is addressed and those businesses who continue to actively engage in illegal activity can be assured that it is not a matter of if, but when we will be entering their store next to conduct arrests, seize goods and bring offenders to justice.”

The trade in counterfeits can often fund other criminal activity such as money laundering, forced labour and drug operations. According to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, counterfeiting is the second largest source of criminal income worldwide after illegal drugs.

The nature of conducting illegal activity means that the criminals involved in manufacturing counterfeit goods are unlikely to follow health and safety regulations, both in terms of the workers who make counterfeit goods and the products themselves. This can leave consumers with products that do not meet safety standards or are of significantly poorer quality than genuine items.

Those arrested have since been released under investigation.