Almost £900,000 worth of counterfeit branded sportswear, including Manchester United, Liverpool and Celtic football kits, has been seized in two operations.
In the first of the seizures, at Dublin Port, Customs officials took possession of 14 tonnes of sports shoes featuring the brand names Reebok, Ellesse, Fila and others.
The operation, code-named "Tenderfoot," began several weeks ago when Customs became suspicious of "certain trade patterns originating in south-east Asia". The consignment seized comprised two 40-foot containers and had been tracked from Vietnam.
Investigators believe the shoes were destined for the Christmas market in the UK, with a value of £850,000.
The second operation, code-named "Dream Team", involved officers at the Revenue Commissioners' foreign parcel section, who intercepted 1,000 football kits sent from Thailand to addresses in Cos Cork, Dublin, Kildare and Kerry.
The brands included Reebok, Umbro, Adidas, Fila and Nike. Celtic, Manchester United, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Fiorentina were among the clubs kits featured. The kits were worth between £40,000 and £45,000 and investigators believe they were intended for sale in Ireland.
Both seizures were made within the last two weeks, a Customs spokesman said, adding that inquiries were continuing and prosecution files being prepared.
