This week, the Northern Ireland Police disrupted a major counterfeiting operation, seizing a shipment of counterfeit devices worth approximately $750,000. More than 20,000 counterfeit devices were seized during the raids, which took place in Belfast and Portadown on Thursday, March 28.
Police in Northern Ireland seize more than 20,000 counterfeits
Although the exact breakdown of the seized goods was not disclosed, photographs from the scene indicate that a significant portion of them were counterfeit Apple products. Among them were counterfeit iPhones, AirPods, and iPhone cases, as well as other unnamed smartwatches, cell phones, and chargers.
This raid highlights the global scale of counterfeiting operations. While Apple products are often targeted, Detective Sergeant Mason of the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) emphasized that “criminals will try to copy anything.” He also warned that such counterfeits often fund organized crime.
These raids followed similar actions in the East Midlands region of England. Interestingly, a repair firm in this region was fined almost $150,000 in 2021 for selling counterfeit Apple chargers.
Although no direct charges of forgery have yet been filed, a 24-year-old man was arrested after the raid in Portadown, although reportedly on suspicion of violating immigration laws.
