Operation Timberwolf smashes £1million counterfeiting racket

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A coordinated series of raids on five homes and three business premises in Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Glasgow and South Lanarkshire led to the seizure of a large quantity of counterfeit goods. These ranged from computers and mobile phones to Victoria Beckham jeans, Nike trainers, Evisu jeans and Tiffany jewellery along with over £6000 in cash.

The goods seized have a street value of £300,000 and it's estimated that the annual turnover of the counterfeiting business was over £1million per year.

Operation Timberwolf was launched and coordinated by Renfrewshire Council's Trading Standards service as part of a multi-agency operation involving Strathclyde Police and trading standards teams from Inverclyde, Glasgow and South Lanarkshire Councils. A report is being prepared for the Procurator Fiscal.

Councillor John McDowell, Convener of Renfrewshire Council's Regulatory Functions Board, said: "The sale of counterfeit goods threatens the livelihoods of staff in legitimate businesses and defrauds consumers. Often profits fund other illegal criminal activities. They obviously evade tax and profit at the expense of others. Those who manufacture and sell counterfeit goods have no regard for the people who are duped into buying items which are often faulty, worthless or even dangerous.

"This successful raid is a tribute to the diligence and professionalism of the trading standards officers and all those who have worked for a year to bring Operation Timberwolf to a positive conclusion and a warning to others involved in similar activities that they will be pursued with the same vigilance."

Press Release: Monday 4 September 2006