More than £6m-worth of counterfeit clothing has been seized from hooky Strangeways shops over the past fortnight. Officers have been continuing their blitz on 'Counterfeit Street', known as Operation Vulcan.
Greater Manchester Police says the Easter period has historically been one of the busiest times of year for the counterfeit shops in the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas. But this year, the counterfeit trade has been disrupted, with 18 shops shut down in the past two weeks.
Over the fortnight, police have encountered dilapidated buildings littered with rat urine and faeces, dangerous homemade electricity, hidden weapons, and shops without proper means of escape. Items seized will be repurposed and recycled, turning them into items which the community can benefit from - including coats, hats, insulation, and even energy for houses.
GMP says 'relentless action by Operation Vulcan' is affecting the gangs involved with Manchester's illegitimate trade, with the latest seizures leading to goods worth millions of pounds being removed from the criminal market. GMP says 33 organised crime gangs from across the country have links to the area.
Police believe the total number of dodgy shops around Strangeways has been slashed from more than 200 to less than 10 since Operation Vulcan was launched last autumn. More than 100 people have been arrested on suspicion of a variety of different offences in that time, including 38 for drugs offences.
Inspector Andy Torkington, one of Operation Vulcan’s specialist officers, said: “We have been relentlessly targeting these illegitimate shops, but we are aware of the few remaining units who are attempting to operate in the area. We will be targeting these premises imminently and our investigations will continue as we seek out and arrest those involved.
“We are seeing excellent progress in the area, and the feedback from the public has been overwhelmingly supportive, but there is still more to be done. The criminality has been embedded into the area for decades, and we’re under no illusion that five months of relentless action will solve it, but these results show great strides in the right direction.
“We need the community side by side with us, sharing information so we can act upon it and bring these people to justice. Operation Vulcan has unwavering support from partner agencies across Greater Manchester which will enable us to stamp out the criminality and build stronger communities.”
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