Gardai have made their second large seizure of counterfeit goods they believe were destined for the lucrative Christmas market, with a â¬200,000 haul found in the back of a truck in Dublin.
Gardai believe the goods had been smuggled into the Republic for sale here and that a group of criminals including by Asian and Irish men were behind the crime.
The latest seizure followed approximately 15,000 counterfeit items being seized last month, with that consignment valued at about â¬300,000. Both seizures were intelligence-led and were part of Operation Bannister, which is a dedicated inquiry targeting counterfeit goods and intellectual property crime.
The latest find was made when gardai moved in on a lorry that was under surveillance in south Dublin on Tuesday, with the back of the vehicle found fill with goods that gardai believe were all produced on the black economy.