Police seize fake goods at Co Antrim fair

Police seized counterfeit goods from stallholders at an annual fair in Co Antrim this afternoon.

Up to £115,000 sterling worth of fake clothing, CDs, DVDs and videos were seized when officers moved in among the crowds at the Old Lammas Fair in Ballycastle.

There were no arrests, but police said prosecutions would follow. It was the second big seizure in 24 hours.

The direction we are getting from the Organised Crime Taskforce is that there is a connection between criminal gangs supplying this counterfeit property and paramilitaries on both sides of the divide.

Acting Chief Inspector Tom Crawford

Bogus goods worth an estimated £130,000 which were apparently on their way to the fair were found in a ferry at Belfast Harbour.

Criminals, as well as loyalist and republican paramilitaries, are involved in the racket, according to Acting Chief Inspector Mr Tom Crawford.

"The direction we are getting from the Organised Crime Taskforce is that there is a connection between criminal gangs supplying this counterfeit property and paramilitaries on both sides of the divide," he said.

Legitimate traders in Ballycastle had welcomed the seizures, he added.