UK officials: fake Olympic goods seized

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Border Force says it has seized thousands of fake Olympic goods at ports and airports across the U.K. ahead of the London Games.

It says that officials have seized more than 7,000 Olympic-branded bags, 500 cigarette lighters and 400 vests among other items.

The force said Friday that the largest haul was found at the port of Felixstowe, in eastern England, where border officials intercepted more than 7,000 fake Olympic gym bags in mid-April.

The government minister who supervises the border force, Damian Green, stressed that counterfeiting is a crime and an economic threat to Britain.

He said officers are using intelligence, scanner technology and search techniques to stop counterfeiters seeking to profit illegally from the Olympics, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12.

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