Two counterfeit shops hidden inside a' filthy' and 'incredibly dangerous' building near Strangeways have been shut down by police. This week officers visited the building on Great Duice Street which had previously been closed by the city council.
After breaking in through a 'heavily secured door' they were immediately 'greeted with an overwhelming stench of rat urine and faeces' Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. They then found two shops full of counterfeit clothes hidden behind the shutters.
Chiefs say the 'filthy' was in a 'dilapidated state', including its electricity being abstracted from a neighbouring building and that anyone visiting was potentially putting their life at risk. 'A lot of effort had gone into hiding this shop from authorities.'
No one was inside but the building's condition gave them 'serious concern for public safety' they added.
It is the latest raid in dozens of raids carried out under Operation Vulcan - a crackdown launched in a bid to rid Cheetham Hill and Strangeways, the country's capital in the sale of fake goods, and the 'serious and organised crime', which they say is linked to the trade.
Inspector Andrew Torkington, one of the operation's leading officers said: “This must be one of the worst buildings we have come across. The shopkeepers had made their own electricity by abstracting it from a neighbouring business.
"They’d made multiple structural changes; it was incredibly dangerous. We don’t say this lightly. People are putting their lives at risk when entering these shops.
“The visible face of Cheetham Hill and Strangeways has changed drastically since the creation of Operation Vulcan. So far, over 80 warrants have been executed and hundreds of tonnes of counterfeit clothing have been seized and repurposed. But there is still work to be done.
“This discovery shows a handful of counterfeit shops are clinging on to the hope that Operation Vulcan will leave the area. Let this be a warning that our work has only just begun. Working with our partners, we will continue until each and every counterfeit shop is shut down and the area becomes hostile to organised crime."
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: "The ongoing work going on in partnership with Greater Manchester Police continues to make strides in the fight against counterfeit crime. Through action such as this we can see how buildings can be taken over and turned into crime hotspots.
"As a council, we're determined to help root these out, and work with landlords and landowners to ensure that once evicted, criminals do not return."
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