Thousands of fake Burberry, Luis Vuitton and One Direction mobile phone covers were among an “Aladdin’s Cave” of counterfeit goods seized from a gift shop in the heart of London’s West End.
The phone covers, which cost less than £1 to buy wholesale, were allegedly being sold for £14.99 each to unsuspecting Christmas shoppers at London Gifts in Oxford Street.
Counterfeit Premier League shirts, clothes branded Obey and Boy London and Dr Dre Beats headphones were also among the haul, with a total sales value of more than £20,000.
Three illegal immigrant workers were also reportedly arrested in the raid, the latest in a trading standards operation that has so far netted more than 5,000 items worth £100,000 if genuine.
Officers are believed to have found the goods stashed on shelves and in suitcases in a maze of small rooms and passages beneath the store.
Frank King, a trading standards officer for Westminster City Council, said: “People who knowingly sell counterfeit items are taking advantage of that goodwill and we hope this short, sharp, shock operation will send out a message to others that they won’t get away with it.”
Councillor Nickie Aiken said: “People come from all over the world to shop on Oxford Street and we want them to do that knowing that they’re not getting ripped off.
“Anyone selling fake goods be warned, our trading standards team doesn’t just work at Christmas.”
