Police cracking down on crime-backed shops in Shropshire as counterfeit goods seizures rise 37 per cent
Seizures of counterfeit goods from high street shops in Shropshire jumped by 37 per cent this year, new figures show.
According to data gathered from local authorities up and down the country as part of a BBC investigation, 34 shops in Shropshire were found to be selling counterfeit goods - which were promptly seized by authorities.
The figures represent a 37.5 per cent leap since 2023/24 where 25 shops were raided. In 2022/23 the number was just 3.
Police say the trade in counterfeit goods on the county's high streets is a symptom of something more sinister - organised crime gangs using shop-fronts to launder money and use them as bases for other illegal activities.
Targeted police raids in Shrewsbury earlier this year resulted in "thousands of pounds in cash and illicit vapes" being seized from stores in the town, part of a crackdown on high street businesses - often Turkish-style barbers, vape shops and mini-marts - suspected of being fronts for organised crime gangs.
