BYMICHAEL BRESLIN
Members of the Fermanagh District Policing Partnership were told last week by an 'intellectual crime' expert how big bucks are being made from the sale at certain markets of counterfeit CD's and DVD's.
Detective Constable Simon Gibson explained that a DVD 'multi-burner' (copier) could produce 1,500-2,000 tapes at a time from a master disc which goes into the copier which has several drawers into which one puts the blank discs, film or music.
"You get these organised gangs who produce these tapes and pack them up and, after paying their rent, we estimate it's costing them 10p-12p a disc which they then sell at the markets for £3-£5 a time".
Seizures of both types of discs, the meeting heard, occurred regularly at Mullan (Swanlinbar) and Clogher (Wattlebridge) markets.
Det Gibson went on: "This year, Fermanagh probably accounted for nearly one-third of goods seized and I would have to say there has been some excellent work done by officers within the division in conjunction with ourselves. This year alone, we had 13 seizures within the district, amounting to £1m of goods seized, largely due tot he success at Clogher Market".
He added that the border around Fermanagh was constantly being exploited by organised gangs, so joint PSNI/Garda cross-Border cooperation as now common place.
He pointed to one purpose-built storage area on the Fermanagh border where his team found 8,000 DVD's and CD's secreted away.
Turning to the two markets, Det Constable Gibson reported that follow-up searches were carried out and a number of arrests made, seven people had been brought to Court and a number of others reported with a view to prosecution.
He then went on to address counterfeit alcohol products, principally lookalike Smirnoff bottles.
"This is of cross-border manufacture, and a lot of it is being produced by former members of Dissident Republicans and mainstream PIRA".
He had already explained that Diageo, the owners of Smirnoff worked closely with his team, and with the Gardai in trying to put a stop to this illegal practice which, he revealed, had cost the company an estimated £5m in 2002 in lost sales.
"Since then, ourselves and the Gardai have consistently worked together and organised a number of operations, and our seizures have rocketed. Diageo are quite concerned at their losses over the last number of years".
Members were startled to hear that the fake Smirnoff vodka was purchased, on order, by taxi drivers in student areas of Belfast and delivered to the student's abode. Likewise, it was or sale at car boot sales and in certain licensed premises, including one in Enniskillen.
Continuing, Det Const Gibson said counterfeit cigarettes represented 'a massive problem'. At one silo shed on the edge of Fermanagh 9.5m counterfeit cigarettes were seized.
"They were brought in by organised criminal gangs through China via a supply network and through the Irish Republic. We made a joint cross-border operation and they were removed from the silo. People at the markets believe that these are simply cigarettes, but the reality is they're counterfeit. What's in them? They don't feel like tobacco and they don't do you any good. The overall content is pure tobacco with other substances mixed in with them". Counterfeit clothing, the meeting heard, also constituted a major area of abuse, with two seizures at Clogher Market, one estimated to be worth £600,000, the other £250,000.
Det Constable Gibson explained: "This clothing came originally from Thailand and then through the North by organised gangs. Genuine traders are losing out big time. For instance, at Clogher market a £75 fleece jacket was selling for £5 or £6".
He also alerted readers to fake Duracell batteries and how they can distinguish the fake (shiny new card cover) from the genuine (brown).
Commenting on his presentation, Councillor Harold Andrews suggested that, in China, the counterfeit business was 'nearly regarded as normal business practice'. Det Constable Gibson explained that last year the Organised Crime Squad here hosted four officers from their Chinese counterparts who told them that, last year, two people in China were executed after being convicted of manufacturing counterfeit goods.
