NEARLY £500,000 worth of counterfeit goods and illicit vapes and tobacco products were seized from three premises in Ashton-under-Lyne.
The premises, which have not been named, were rumbled by Trading Standards during a day of action.
Greater Manchester Police, Wagtails sniffer dogs and Tameside Council enforcement officers discovered the stashes during Operation Avro last week.
Launched in 2021, the initiative enables extra resources and specialist officers to focus on a different district within Greater Manchester each month to clamp down on specific community concerns.
Investigations into the finds are continuing after trading standards were tipped off about suspicious activity.
The seized goods, around £460,000 in value, include counterfeit clothing, sportswear, trainers, fragrances, illicit vapes, cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco.
The UK market in fake goods is now understood to be worth £9.3 billion, representing four per cent of all UK imports.
Meanwhile, the illicit market in tobacco duty and related VAT was estimated to be £2.8 billion in 2021 to 2022, according to HM Revenue and Customs.
Councillor Hugh Roderick, Tameside Council’s Assistant Executive Member for Enforcement, said work in this area will continue.
“This is a great result thanks to collaborative efforts of our trading standards team, working with our partners. Appropriate action will be taken against the offenders involved.
“The trade in counterfeit and illicit goods supports crime rings, hurts hard-working legitimate businesses and puts consumers at risk.
“We’ll continue to work closely with our partners to address issues of concern to our communities and to make Tameside safer for everyone.”
Why have they not been named.