A huge haul of counterfeit toys, thought to be valued between £6million and £10million, have been seized in London in one of the largest multi-agency operations in the UK.
Trading Standard Officers from Swansea Council led raids on four toy warehouses on a large industrial estate in Southall, London, along with dozens of officers from Met Police and brand representatives from major toy firms.
It comes following a counterfeit toy seizure that took place in Swansea during the Christmas period last year when thousands of toys were recovered from pop-up shops in the city centre.
Toys were packaged as well-known brands including Pokémon, Pepper Pig, Star Wars and Marvel.
Investigations into the source of the toys had led Trading Standards to the industrial estate near London.
During testing, some of the counterfeit toys were found to contain banned chemicals known as 'Phthalates', which if ingested, can affect the body's hormone system and have been linked to certain types of cancer.
Rhys Harries, Swansea Council's Trading Standards Lead Officer, said: "The latest seizure is the result of detailed investigations around the sources of counterfeit toys that we discovered being sold in Swansea.
"Christmas can be a popular time for businesses to quickly set up in vacant premises and distribute unsafe, counterfeit toys to families looking for a bargain.
"While we were able to seize a significant amount of toys being sold in Swansea city centre, our focus quickly switched to the source of the distribution into Swansea.
"We have spent a lot of time investigating these sources, using external partners to gather intelligence about the traders in London.
"In terms of the large amount of dangerous and counterfeit goods we have seized, I have no doubt that all of these were destined for the high streets of many of the UKs towns and cities.
“So it's great to know that we have had a positive impact and are able to not only protect families and young children from the possible dangers associated with these toys, but also to protect established brands who have been affected by the sale of counterfeit products."
David Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance, said: "This latest counterfeit seizure is significant in terms of the positive impact it has had, not only in Swansea, but around the UK.
"Our own Trading Standards did not stop at simply dealing with counterfeit goods being sold on the street in Swansea, they showed a lot of professionalism and determination to tackle the wider distribution into other towns and cities.
“I'm extremely proud of everyone's efforts, along with the assistance of external partners who have provided support for this operation."
