Enfield Council Trading Standards officers and Metropolitan Police have seized counterfeit products from mobile phone retailers in Edmonton as part of a joint operation targeting criminal activity in the second-hand electronics trade.
During Operation Reckoning, officers visited 15 second-hand mobile phone shops between 15 and 17 September. Officers seized counterfeit products with an estimated street value of around £2,000.
The operation was carried out in response to concerns about mobile phone theft particularly in Enfield Town, with an aim to identify stolen devices and disrupt illegal supply chains linked to counterfeit goods.
The officers discovered a quantity of counterfeit products that included AirPods, Apple Pencils, USB cables, phone cases and counterfeit Sony PS4 controllers.
Advice was provided to business owners about their responsibilities under the Trade Marks Act 1994, and the importance of ensuring goods offered for sale are genuine and sourced through legitimate and traceable supply chains.
In some cases, the businesses could only provide a name and telephone number of the supplier, as invoices were not provided.
Counterfeit goods such as phone chargers pose serious safety risks, as they do not meet the required safety standards, and can present risks such as overheating, electric shock or fire. Connections to and wider links between counterfeit goods and organised criminality are not uncommon, so it is not a victimless crime.
Trading Standards officers have now begun an investigation into the wholesalers responsible for supply of counterfeit goods.
Cllr Elisa Morreale, Cabinet Member for Licensing at Enfield Council, said: “The sale of counterfeit electronic products is of huge concern due to the potential to harm residents. They often don’t carry a safety mark and haven’t been properly tested to UK standards.
“Initiatives such as Operation Reckoning demonstrate our continued commitment to working in partnership to tackling criminality, protecting residents and consumers from counterfeit and potentially unsafe products, and supporting legitimate thriving businesses.”
Operation Reckoning is a multi-agency initiative aimed at tackling mobile phone theft and disrupting illicit retail networks.
Officers were accompanied by Upper Edmonton and Edmonton Green Town Centre Safer Neighbourhood Teams, who are a dedicated group of Metropolitan Police and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), and a representative from global technology company, Apple.
Find out more about Enfield Council's Trading Standards service here.