Border Force officers at Manchester Airport have seized more than 1,000 fake Mulberry handbags.
The seizure was made last month as officers carried out checks on a consignment of freight that had arrived from Hong Kong.
A team from Border Force inspected the load and it soon became clear that the handbags were of inferior quality. Further checks with Mulberry confirmed that they were counterfeit goods.
In total 1,100 bags were seized, which could have been worth £752,000 if sold – they will all now be destroyed.
Linda Paul, Assistant Director for Border Force, said: "I would like to praise my officers for their vigilance in identifying these fakes.
"Counterfeit goods cause damage to legitimate businesses and traders and they leave customers out of pocket with inferior and possibly dangerous goods.
"Border Force will continue to play a key role in fighting and disrupting serious and organised crime and protecting the UK's economy."
A spokesperson for Mulberry said "We are very pleased to be working with Border Force in our joint drive to protect the public and UK manufacturing from imported counterfeit products."
Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to smuggling should call the Border Force officers hotline on 0800 59 5000.
