0:00:03 > 0:00:07Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Get down! - Get on the floor now! - Put your hands behind your back now!
0:00:25 > 0:00:29In this series I'll be investigating the world of the criminals
0:00:29 > 0:00:31who make their money at your expense.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And I'll show you how not to get ripped off.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37On today's Fake Britain:
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Public markets across the country
0:00:39 > 0:00:42that are being flooded by the fakers.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46It's a million pounds plus, easily, of counterfeit items.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49And the honest traders under threat from the fakers.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53The legitimate traders were unable to actually purchase stalls
0:00:53 > 0:00:55as they were being taken over
0:00:55 > 0:00:59by counterfeit and illegal criminal gangs.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02One of the largest fake cigarette factories in the UK - busted.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06We're talking 625 million cigarettes a year.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But what's inside the fake cigarettes?
0:01:10 > 0:01:13The result of smoking these over a period of time
0:01:13 > 0:01:16would be classic signs of heavy metal poisoning.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18That would be the Mad Hatter syndrome,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21where people exhibit signs of dementia.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25And we get ahead of the game by tracking down a pint of beer
0:01:25 > 0:01:27that isn't quite what it seems.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31It's 40ml short. That to me would be a fake pint.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Got them all here today, come on.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Any four for a pound here.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45For centuries, Britain's public markets
0:01:45 > 0:01:48have been a thriving feature of our economic landscape.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52But now they're under threat from the fakers.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Wembley market is no exception.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58With over 200 stalls,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01it's billed as the biggest and best market in England.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05But it's thought that a number of the stalls here
0:02:05 > 0:02:07could be selling fake merchandise.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Simon Legg, from Brent and Harrow Trading Standards,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13is having none of it.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Are all teams briefed knowing which stall they're going to, over?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19This is one of our removal vans.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22In a joint operation, Brent and Harrow Trading Standards and the local police
0:02:22 > 0:02:26are heading to Wembley to fight back
0:02:26 > 0:02:28against the fakers taking over the market.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31It's like a game of cat and mouse, dealing with things at the market.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32We're on one side of the market,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35they'll be trading illegally on the other side.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Outside, Simon's team of officers are assembled and ready for action.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44OK, guys, let's go!
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Let's move, come on, everybody.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48The officers need to move fast
0:02:48 > 0:02:51to stay one step ahead of the counterfeiters.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53We're trying to get to our target stalls
0:02:53 > 0:02:55before people get tipped off we're here
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and then they start covering up or hiding their stuff,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00alternatively doing a runner from the stalls.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04The officers pounce so quickly
0:03:04 > 0:03:06that the traders on their first target stall
0:03:06 > 0:03:08are only just setting up for the day.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10It's all still in its original boxes,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14which makes lifting it, bagging and tagging it, moving it away
0:03:14 > 0:03:16much easier for us.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And what's inside those boxes is definitely of interest.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23That's not a legitimate Ugg boot.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25You can just feel the quality of the materials.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27It's clear to me this isn't a genuine product.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32And there are other big brands on offer - fake big brands, that is.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Again, we've got Nike trainers,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36you can tell it's not a genuine Nike product,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38just from looking at the quality of it.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Yeah, and the feel of it, and the printing quality inside.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Likewise, over here we've got some Adidas trainers.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Just the feel of the labels,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50it's very cheap, poor quality cardboard.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It's got all the telltale signs that they're counterfeit shoes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55For these stall holders,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58losing their merchandise to Trading Standards
0:03:58 > 0:04:01is merely an operational cost, a mere blip in their huge profits.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04To have a stall this size, it's a double pitch stall,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08they'll be earning thousands of pounds, depending on how busy it is.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10If you're earning £1,000 a day in your average week,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12that's £7,000 upwards.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Hundreds of thousands of pounds from counterfeit sales every year
0:04:16 > 0:04:19just from this one stall.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24All of a sudden, Simon gets wind of some traders who have done a runner.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27They're prepared to run off and abandon all their stock.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28This is one such stall here.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30They've just done a runner and abandoned it.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33It's all set up ready to trade, they've put all this stock out,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Adidas, all the major brands are out here, sportswear stuff.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41We've got dozens of boxes underneath full of Adidas tracksuits.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44This is quite a poor quality item.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's described as an Adidas Original, couldn't be further from the truth.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The dodgy traders have escaped this time round,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53but their stock might not be so lucky.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56When the market gets busier later on,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59I am sure people walking by will no doubt help themselves, unfortunately.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03It's not just fake clothes on offer at Wembley.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Real diamond Shamballa bracelets can cost thousands of pounds.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09But as Jon's discovering,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13fake diamonds are a counterfeiter's best friend.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14Rubbish.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16You can just see the finishing.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19They're not going to be diamonds at all or any form of crystals,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21These probably pop out quite easily,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24they probably turn these out in China for 25p, 50p each.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28And everyone involved in the sale of this fake jewellery
0:05:28 > 0:05:29is making a killing.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Say they retail at £25 a bracelet,
0:05:31 > 0:05:36they could probably sell several hundred, 200-300 here easily a day,
0:05:36 > 0:05:41and they can make £2,000 just from selling a small portion of it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43And then they're back next week for the same again.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45This stall has just been busted.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49But the man trading at the stall right next door
0:05:49 > 0:05:50doesn't seem to care.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54They carried on trading while we were dealing with this stall, stupidly,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56so they've been our next target.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57What's your business name, please?
0:05:57 > 0:06:01That's how blatant people are, they don't have any fear
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and are prepared to risk being caught for the benefit of a day's trade.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07It's another good haul.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09The finishing on that is dreadful.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14I don't have to work for Adidas to know that that's counterfeit.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Rather than doing a runner, this trader thinks Trading Standards
0:06:17 > 0:06:20might be up for a bit of haggling.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Are you going to take everything as well?
0:06:22 > 0:06:24I'll take everything - I can't let you sell this, can I?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28How come you're sure it's counterfeit? I'm not sure!
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I can tell you this is counterfeit straight away,
0:06:31 > 0:06:32just the finishing on that.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36The stall holder is baffled as to why Trading Standards
0:06:36 > 0:06:38would stop him from selling his goods.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41He thinks he's doing a public service,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43but his argument's falling on deaf ears.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It's up to the trader to make sure he's not selling counterfeit goods.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51So if he's kept his receipts then he's got some comeback,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55if he's paid cash for the stuff then he's struggling.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Come on be fair, be fair.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Fake clothing might seem like a cheap bargain.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03But it can also be dangerous.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Cheap hood chords on fake tops like this don't meet EU legislation.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11They're unsafe, and could lead to disaster.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Child's got that done up around its neck,
0:07:13 > 0:07:18I don't know, it's in the playground, it's coming down the stairs.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21You know, it's an extreme example but it could happen.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25And that's why the safety legislation is there.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32Fake brands and clear safety issues. Trading Standards have seen enough.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- Effectively... - Your powers are limitless and my rights are no rights.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38No, that's not true. You do have rights.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43What's going to happen is we're going to seize all this obviously.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Overall, it's a massive haul of fake gear from several market stalls.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54Enough to fill up not one, not two, but five transit vans.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59The counterfeit haul is taken to a secret storage depot
0:07:59 > 0:08:00somewhere in London.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04It will be kept safely locked up pending the criminal investigation.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05And yet again,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09it's all hands on deck due to the sheer volume of the seized load.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Trolley after trolley, it keeps coming.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16I reckon between the vehicles today
0:08:16 > 0:08:20we had at least five tonnes worth of evidence.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27It's a million pounds plus, easily, of counterfeit items.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28The profits of these guys are enormous.
0:08:28 > 0:08:34The likes of myself grafting away for a fair salary
0:08:34 > 0:08:36where they're raking it in. Thousands of pounds worth a day,
0:08:36 > 0:08:42the market traders can easily make in profit from these counterfeit items.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47It's all in a day's work for Brent and Harrow Trading Standards.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49This is satisfying, having these seized goods
0:08:49 > 0:08:50brought back with us today.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53It's counterfeit goods taken off the marketplace.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55People aren't going to be profiteering from it,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58consumers aren't going to be harmed or misled by it.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00So a good haul for us, really pleased.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Coming up, we're out with Greater Manchester Police
0:09:09 > 0:09:12as they crack down on the criminal counterfeiters.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14We're heading to one of six addresses
0:09:14 > 0:09:18where we suspect there will be significant amounts of counterfeit products.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31We're known as a nation of animal lovers.
0:09:31 > 0:09:3326 million of us own pets,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37and we spend around £14 billion a year caring for them.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42But the fakers are learning that when it comes to pet insurance,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45big value pets can mean big payouts.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And fake claims on pet insurance policies
0:09:48 > 0:09:51are now the fastest growing area of insurance fraud.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Claire Laver is a specialist insurance lawyer
0:09:57 > 0:09:59who's been investigating the ever-growing number
0:09:59 > 0:10:01of pet-related claims.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Pet fraud has started to increase.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The statistics suggest that in 2009,
0:10:10 > 0:10:15around about £420,000 of detected claims fraud was identified.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20And that increased to 1.9 million in 2010.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23So that represents a 450% increase overall.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Claire knows of one case where a dog breeder went to gruesome lengths
0:10:30 > 0:10:32to cash in on her pet insurance policies
0:10:32 > 0:10:37by repeatedly faking the dates of the deaths of her puppies.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41The case of Jill Allen is particularly macabre
0:10:41 > 0:10:43because she was a dog breeder
0:10:43 > 0:10:47who would posthumously insure her puppies
0:10:47 > 0:10:51and then present claims for the loss of those puppies.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Rather than insuring her pedigree puppies against death while they were still alive,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00the dog breeder insured them after they had died.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Having already died, she would place the puppies in cling film,
0:11:05 > 0:11:09mark them with a date and place them in her freezer.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15She would then put in her fake claim saying the puppy had just died,
0:11:15 > 0:11:20when in fact it had been lying preserved in her freezer.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24She would then defrost them as and when was necessary
0:11:24 > 0:11:28to substantiate the claims presented against the insurance company.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31When the woman's home was finally searched,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34nine frozen puppies were found,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36each of which was ready to be thawed out
0:11:36 > 0:11:38to prove it had died when she said it had.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44But Claire believes that some of the fakers trying to cash in on pet insurance policies
0:11:44 > 0:11:47never even owned animals in the first place.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The types of fraud that are committed
0:11:50 > 0:11:55generally involve fictitious animals and not real animals.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59And in order to make the claim successful,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02people will forge documents to support their claims.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05They will redirect calls through to themselves,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07they will insure fictitious animals.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12DCI Dave Wood knows all about the lengths
0:12:12 > 0:12:15to which some of the pet insurance fakers will go.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18He heads up the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22a specialist unit set up by City of London Police
0:12:22 > 0:12:23to combat insurance fraud.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Dave has dealt with many a fake pet insurance claim in his time.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32But he'll always remember his first ever case.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37My unit investigated an interesting case involving a young lady
0:12:37 > 0:12:42who was out in a park walking her two pedigree Chihuahua dogs.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44She was approached by two youths,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47who, during the course of this encounter,
0:12:47 > 0:12:52eventually made off with her two Chihuahuas against her wishes.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57Pedigree Chihuahuas can cost thousands of pounds.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01The dog's owner did what any other owner of a pedigree pooch would do
0:13:01 > 0:13:03if their pride and joy went missing.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The dogs were valued to the tune of £1,500 each.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14She reported this theft and also made an insurance claim to her company
0:13:14 > 0:13:17for the loss of those two pet Chihuahuas.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18But the woman owner
0:13:18 > 0:13:23wasn't just claiming for the cost of the Chihuahuas.
0:13:23 > 0:13:29In addition to that, the lady also claimed £2,600 worth of printing costs
0:13:29 > 0:13:33for some laminated posters, which she allegedly put up in the local area
0:13:33 > 0:13:37in her effort to trace these two dogs.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41In total, the dogs' owner submitted a claim for around £6,000
0:13:41 > 0:13:44for the Chihuahuas, named Jet and Gizmo,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47giving the insurance company photographs of the dogs
0:13:47 > 0:13:48and receipts for their purchase.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53But something about her story didn't quite add up,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and her insurance company got in touch with DCI Dave Wood,
0:13:57 > 0:13:58who investigated further.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02He took a closer look at the receipts
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and didn't like what he saw.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06The receipts that were produced by the offender
0:14:06 > 0:14:10were on what I would describe as scraps of paper.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15I'd be expecting for high value pedigree animals worth £1,500 each,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16they'd be acquired from a breeder,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and that breeder would have official invoice
0:14:19 > 0:14:21or some sort of headed notepaper.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Dave then discovered something rather odd
0:14:24 > 0:14:27about the photos of the Chihuahuas.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31In fact, the photograph that she put forward to the insurance company
0:14:31 > 0:14:35as being the image of Jet, in fact turned out to be obtained
0:14:35 > 0:14:40from an American Chihuahua Appreciation Society website.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44But it wasn't just the photographs that were fake.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Our enquiries revealed that these posters were never in fact printed,
0:14:48 > 0:14:49she never in fact paid for them
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and she therefore never put them up anywhere.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54So the whole thing was fake.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58In fact, the only place where Jet and Gizmo existed
0:14:58 > 0:15:02were in the vivid imagination of their so-called owner.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05This was a fake claim. It was totally fraudulent,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and the two dogs were never in her possession or even existed.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13The wannabe Chihuahua-owner eventually admitted
0:15:13 > 0:15:16her claim was dishonest and fraudulent.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18She was officially cautioned by the police.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21For Dave Wood, the case of the fake Chihuahuas, and others like it,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25have serious implications for honest animal lovers everywhere.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Up to £50 of that pet owner annual policy
0:15:29 > 0:15:33is on as a direct result of insurance fraud.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And our unit has been set up to target people
0:15:36 > 0:15:38who are hitting the industry in this way.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42And over time, we are hoping to make a significant impact
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and reduce people's premiums.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59This is Felixstowe Port - Britain's biggest container port.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Over 40% of everything that is shipped into the country comes through here.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08That's around three and a half million containers
0:16:08 > 0:16:10arriving at the port each year.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15And when it comes to spotting the ones which contain fake goods,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18the UK Border Agency have their work cut out.
0:16:18 > 0:16:25So, they use mobile X-Ray scanners. Both large, and small.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31This morning they've identified a consignment of ten suspect crates that have come in from China.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36The crates have been listed as containing kitchen utensils.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39But Andy Darke is using one of the smaller X-Ray scanners
0:16:39 > 0:16:43to take a closer look at what's inside one them.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45And although it's meant to be pots and pans,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49the machine's showing there's something organic inside.
0:16:49 > 0:16:55There's only one way to find out for sure what the organic material is.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Time for the good, old-fashioned crowbar.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And as we can hear from the way they're rattling,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08we expect this to be the kitchen equipment.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13There we are!
0:17:13 > 0:17:17The crate does indeed contain cooking utensils,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20but not ones you'd want to use with your Sunday roast.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22If you try to pick anything up with it - oh dear.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Couldn't even pick up a Brussels sprout with it.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29In fact, this dodgy kitchenware is what's called a cover-load.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Items packed into the top of a container for the sole purpose
0:17:32 > 0:17:35of concealing an illicit load.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38In this case, cigarettes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43And to the untrained eye, ordinary cigarettes destined for British retailers.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45These look very good.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49They've even got the tear-off strip that says "part of a multi-pack".
0:17:49 > 0:17:52There's a UK barcode on there.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57People would be buying these and paying the normal UK price for them,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00believing them to be the real thing.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04But for the experienced eyes of the UK Border Agency,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07there is a tell-tale sign that these are in fact fake cigarettes.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12These are undoubtedly counterfeit cigarettes,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16because why would somebody be importing British-made cigarettes
0:18:16 > 0:18:20with "UK duty paid" on them into England from China?
0:18:23 > 0:18:29The numbers of fake cigarettes found under their counterfeit cover-load are starting to add up.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Three boxes in there and there's 8,000 in each box.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33160,000.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38So ten boxes make it 1.6 million.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44The revenue involved is well over a quarter of a million pounds,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49so the consignment itself, the retail value in the shops,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53is probably in the region of half a million pounds.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55The counterfeiters know that some of their crates
0:18:55 > 0:18:58might be intercepted by hawk-eyed officials.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01So they're always looking for ingenious ways to smuggle
0:19:01 > 0:19:04their fake fags into Blighty.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08The cover loads we've found recently can vary from anything from shoes,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10tissues, kitchen utensils.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13They always try to find ways around it and it's up to us to try
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and catch them out, and find what they're doing.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19But the fakers will need to up their game if they want to get
0:19:19 > 0:19:22their gear past Felixstowe's inquisitive gatekeepers.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27All they've done probably is assuming we might go in through the top,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30open one of them and think, "Ah, it's all right, it's kitchen stuff",
0:19:30 > 0:19:32"We'll leave the rest of it."
0:19:32 > 0:19:35But we're not like that. We'll have a proper look.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40And have a proper look they do.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43At anything suspicious that comes into the port.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And Andrew Rose has come across an entire shipping container,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51again from China, with a rather playful cover-load.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Cheap toys.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56The box isn't even full, is it.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It's only half full.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02But the fakers can't buy Andrew off with a car.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05He wants to see what lies beneath the fake cover-load of this container.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08We're about six foot from the end of the container now
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and we've actually reached where the actual cigarettes are.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13The cigarettes come from China,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16but mysteriously, the tax labels on them are Dutch.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18It's for sale in the UK,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23but maybe having a Dutch appearance gives it an air of respectability,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26if you like, so anyone selling it would suggest to the customer
0:20:26 > 0:20:31that it's been brought from Holland, so they're genuine.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Andrew can smell a fake cigarette a mile off.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Counterfeit cigarettes do have more of a chemically smell to them,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43which these do actually,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46so again that leads us to suspect that they're probably counterfeit.
0:20:46 > 0:20:52And there are other tell-tale signs that these are fake fags.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55This particular one, the packaging has got a little bit of a red stripe
0:20:55 > 0:20:58going through one of the actual individual packets.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02This one's got a tax stamp missing.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07This one, one of the cartons has got the labelling the wrong way round,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10so it's attention to detail which tends to suggest that
0:21:10 > 0:21:12they're not the genuine thing.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19In total, the UK Border Agency officers find 400,000 fake cigarettes
0:21:19 > 0:21:21in the back of the container.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27And in this warehouse, there are millions of fake cigarettes
0:21:27 > 0:21:30that have been seized over the past 12 months.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Every year, British ports seize tens of millions of fake cigarettes,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37originating mainly from China.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Later on, we see how fake cigarettes
0:21:40 > 0:21:43aren't just being imported into Britain.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47They're even being produced in phenomenal numbers
0:21:47 > 0:21:48in our own back yard.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52And, the unexpected dangers that lurk inside.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54We've found high levels of lead,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58which is a central nervous system poison.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Earlier, we saw how London's Wembley Market is rife with
0:22:10 > 0:22:13counterfeit clothing, shoes, and jewellery.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17But the problem of fake market merchandise reaches far beyond London,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19and goes beyond fake clothing.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Fake CDs and DVDs on a market stall.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Not perhaps an unusual sight, but while it might look like
0:22:27 > 0:22:28a small-scale crime,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32it's actually the public face of an illegal trade
0:22:32 > 0:22:35now worth an estimated £100 million a year in the UK.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43Attempting to disrupt that trade are the Greater Manchester Police.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46As night falls, they're taking part in an operation,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50led by Suzie Winter from the Alliance Against Intellectual Property Theft.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55We're heading to one of six addresses across the Greater Manchester Salford area,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59where we suspect there will be significant amounts of counterfeit products
0:22:59 > 0:23:03that service three main markets in the Greater Manchester and Salford area
0:23:03 > 0:23:06that are hotbeds for the sale of counterfeit goods.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11All of a sudden, the team are given the green light to go in.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14We're can just see the police van's just pulled up ahead of us.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19As the search gets under way inside the house,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21some younger members of the neighbourhood bob up
0:23:21 > 0:23:23to see what's going on.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24BLEEP from Ashton!
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Damian!
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Sorry.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28You stay over here!
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Oi!
0:23:30 > 0:23:31ARGUING CONTINUES
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Inside the house, the officers are amazed by what they've found.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Just at this one property tonight, is about 500 discs,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46probably a value of product on those discs of about £8-£10,000.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48It's going to be enough to run a market stall.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51They found two DVD burners,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54blank discs ready to be put into the burner,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56they found plastic casing,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00so all the things you would need to run a piracy operation.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Behind the walls of this suburban house, there is a DVD factory.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08And the officers caught the man faking the discs red-handed!
0:24:08 > 0:24:11The burner was even switched on and was in operation
0:24:11 > 0:24:13as the police went into the property.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The gentlemen that the police were looking for was at home
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and has been arrested and taken to the police station.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24For the team, it's a great result,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26and one that's helped to protect British businesses.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Traders are going out of business because they can't compete with
0:24:29 > 0:24:33the prices that these criminals pay, charge for their product.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Industry loses money, jobs are lost.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41And there are links to other criminal activity.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Detective Inspector Caroline Walker from Greater Manchester Police
0:24:48 > 0:24:51knows all too well the huge impact that counterfeiting has had
0:24:51 > 0:24:56on honest traders at Manchester's outdoor Salford Market.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The market here at Salford used to have a number of stalls
0:25:02 > 0:25:05but gradually over the years, we've seen a steady increase
0:25:05 > 0:25:08in the amount of stalls selling counterfeit items
0:25:08 > 0:25:09taking over the market themselves,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12selling vast quantities of these goods.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17The legitimate traders are being pushed away from these stalls
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and were unable to actually purchase stalls on a weekend
0:25:20 > 0:25:22as they were being taken over
0:25:22 > 0:25:25by the counterfeit and illegal criminal gang.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29After repeated attempts to combat
0:25:29 > 0:25:32the criminal counterfeiters taking over the market,
0:25:32 > 0:25:33it was shut down
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and the legitimate traders offered a place in the indoor market,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40free from unfair competition from the fakers.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Criminal gangs attempt to smuggle
0:25:53 > 0:25:57hundreds of millions of fake cigarettes into the country each year
0:25:57 > 0:25:59through our major sea ports.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04They'll use everything from kitchen utensils to toy cars
0:26:04 > 0:26:05to cover up their antics.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11But shockingly, some crime gangs are producing fake cigarettes
0:26:11 > 0:26:12right here in Britain
0:26:12 > 0:26:16and even setting up fake cigarette factories right under our noses.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Lee Fletcher found this out the hard way.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25He helps to run a successful family business, Tapton Business Park.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Lee's family had rented out one of their industrial units
0:26:29 > 0:26:32to business partners Phillip Hall and Philip Robinson.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Nothing was ever flagged up in our eyes to question them, you know.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38They just seemed like normal guys,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40there was nothing questionable about them.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Rent were paid on time, not a problem.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50But Hall and Robinson were anything but your average guys next door.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And one morning, out of the blue,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Lee got the phone call that he'll remember for the rest of his life.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58We've got two of our own companies down here
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and we got a call from one of the management team,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05saying how, unfortunately, work had been stopped
0:27:05 > 0:27:10due to the seizure of this big cigarette factory.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13It just stopped work, nothing going on, that's it.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Lee was horrified to learn that his tenants were in fact criminals
0:27:18 > 0:27:21who were plotting to set up a huge fake cigarette factory
0:27:21 > 0:27:25behind the closed shutters of their rented industrial unit.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Robinson headed up the UK operation
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and Hall was the main supplier of tobacco.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36But the criminals would never get the chance
0:27:36 > 0:27:38to put their ambitious plan into action.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42What they didn't realise
0:27:42 > 0:27:45was that Gary Lampon and his team at HM Revenue and Customs
0:27:45 > 0:27:49had had them under surveillance for some time.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51And finally, they had enough evidence
0:27:51 > 0:27:53to swoop on Unit 8 at the business park.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58The officers were astounded at what they found.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04When officers entered the premises,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07they were really quite surprised by the scale.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09There were a large number of machines.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11They ranged from the cigarette-making machines
0:28:11 > 0:28:15through the packaging and actually the cellophane machines as well
0:28:15 > 0:28:19that were used to wrap and pack the packets of 20.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20Alongside those machines
0:28:20 > 0:28:24were a huge number of flat-packed cigarettes cartons.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27It was an extremely professional set-up.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30The tobacco manufacturing plant was so sophisticated,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33the gang flew in expert technicians from overseas
0:28:33 > 0:28:35to put it together and operate it.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37This was a fake cigarette factory
0:28:37 > 0:28:41capable of operating on an industrial scale.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45We're talking potentially upwards of 625 million cigarettes a year.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47It's running along the same kind of scale
0:28:47 > 0:28:50as an actual international cigarette manufacturing firm
0:28:50 > 0:28:53like Imperial Tobacco or Gallaher Brothers.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55They used machinery which had the capacity
0:28:55 > 0:28:59to turn out thousands and thousands and thousands of cigarettes per hour.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02But rather than targeting mainstream manufacturers,
0:29:02 > 0:29:08Hall and Robinson planned to breathe new life into an old Russian brand.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12The manufacturing facility was aiming to produce fake Idigoff cigarettes.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Idigoff are a Russian brand which is no longer in production.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17It's all about duping the public
0:29:17 > 0:29:20into believing they're buying a legitimate product
0:29:20 > 0:29:22that was smuggled from overseas.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25With the machinery churning out fake cigarettes day and night,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28the gang would have to go to extraordinary lengths
0:29:28 > 0:29:31to conceal their activities and keep below the radar.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36You can see on the wall here the soundproofing that had been put in
0:29:36 > 0:29:38because the machinery itself was extremely noisy.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41The other people here would have had no idea what was going on.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Once those shutters go down, it's sound-proofed
0:29:44 > 0:29:47and anything could be going on behind the doors.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53The fakers were so eager to make a killing with their cigarettes
0:29:53 > 0:29:56that they had tobacco-manufacturing equipment set up
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and ready to go in other industrial units in Nottinghamshire.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Investigators found cigarette-manufacturing equipment
0:30:03 > 0:30:07capable of producing up to 750 million cigarettes a year
0:30:07 > 0:30:10and in a nearby barn,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13100,000 fake Golden Virginia pouches.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Gary and his team had stopped
0:30:16 > 0:30:21one of the largest ever cigarette factories found in the UK.
0:30:21 > 0:30:22Certainly in terms of scale,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25this factory was one of the largest seen in the country.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28The revenue lost on cigarette smuggling
0:30:28 > 0:30:30is around £2 billion a year, we estimate.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32If this cigarette factory had been up and running
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and manufacturing at full capacity,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38we've a potential of losing a further £131 million a year.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39It's a very substantial sum
0:30:39 > 0:30:42and underlines the scale of the operation.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Philip Robinson was sentenced
0:30:44 > 0:30:48to seven years and four months in prison.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51His partner in crime, Phillip Hall, was already serving five years
0:30:51 > 0:30:54for offences relating to fake cigarettes
0:30:54 > 0:30:57and he was given 18 months on top of that.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It was a great result for Gary and his team
0:30:59 > 0:31:03but the experience has had a lasting impact
0:31:03 > 0:31:05on the owners of this business park.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07We had a downturn in business, obviously,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10while the investigation was going on.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13They kind of shut the site - that's it, it's all systems stop.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19It put us in a position where we were losing £15,000 per day.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23It's a lot of money to lose, especially for a family-run company.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27From now on, they're going to be a lot more wary
0:31:27 > 0:31:30about prospective tenants who knock on their door.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33Since it's happened, we vet our tenants a lot more.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36I can only advise on other landlords to do the same.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Coming up, we find out what's inside the fake cigarettes
0:31:40 > 0:31:43that are flooding into the country.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45They may contain certain substances
0:31:45 > 0:31:47which are toxic or dangerous to health.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57There's nothing us Brits love more
0:31:57 > 0:32:01than relaxing over a cool pint of beer -
0:32:01 > 0:32:04so much so that we buy nearly two million pints a day.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08But when is a pint not a pint?
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Well, when it's got a large head of froth on it.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Well, here we have an example
0:32:13 > 0:32:16of a rather badly-poured pint with a huge head.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18That's probably about 20% short.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21You're probably losing 50 or 60 pence on that pint.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Iain Loe from the Campaign for Real Ale
0:32:26 > 0:32:28thinks he's onto an invisible crime
0:32:28 > 0:32:32that could be happening in a pub near you.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34People are buying what they think is a pint
0:32:34 > 0:32:36but what they are receiving is far less than a pint.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39It's 95-90% of a pint. They are fake pints.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Industry guidelines recommend
0:32:42 > 0:32:45that a pint can be 95% liquid
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and the rest of it can be head, or froth.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50But some pubs are serving their pints
0:32:50 > 0:32:52with more froth and less liquid
0:32:52 > 0:32:54and that's called a short measure.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57A fake small pint might not seem like a big deal
0:32:57 > 0:32:59but Iain has a head for figures
0:32:59 > 0:33:03and he thinks this could be a huge crime going unnoticed.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06A short measure may be just small beer to some people
0:33:06 > 0:33:09but adding up all those bits of small beer
0:33:09 > 0:33:11comes out to a lot of beer in the end
0:33:11 > 0:33:15and we calculate it's probably £1.3 million a day
0:33:15 > 0:33:17that's being lost by the consumer
0:33:17 > 0:33:20by beer being served that is too short.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22That's £440 million a year.
0:33:22 > 0:33:28I think there are a lot of British beer drinkers, pub goers, who don't realise they're being rooked.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32Their pockets are being picked, as it were, without their knowledge.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39But luckily for beer lovers, Trading Standards are on the case of this invisible crime.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42And not just any Trading Standards team.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45The Weights and Measures team.
0:33:45 > 0:33:51Ash Shah is a man who takes his quantities seriously.
0:33:51 > 0:33:58Almost £2 billion worth of trade every day is carried out where goods are measured,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00by some way, shape or form.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05Even slight differences in what you're getting, as opposed to what you've paid for,
0:34:05 > 0:34:11can mean huge, huge profits for those unscrupulous traders.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17More specifically, unscrupulous pubs that might be short-changing their customers
0:34:17 > 0:34:21by serving pints that are less than pints.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23We followed Ash and his Weights and Measures team
0:34:23 > 0:34:27on an evening operation to weed out the pint fakers.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28We're off to a pub.
0:34:28 > 0:34:34We're going to having a look to see whether they're dispensing a correct pint as opposed to a fake pint,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38making sure that consumers are getting the amount of liquid they're paying for.
0:34:38 > 0:34:44And woe betide any publican found to be under-filling their pints.
0:34:44 > 0:34:50If we find that any of those is below what we expect to get in terms of the tolerances which are allowed,
0:34:50 > 0:34:52then we'll take some appropriate action.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Whether that be seizing the equipment, having a word with the publican,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59maybe with a view to taking a prosecution or not.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06In the first pub, the team quickly get to work by posing as evening drinkers.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10We bought a pint of Fosters, we bought a pint of Carlsberg.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12That looks to be absolutely fine at the moment.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16But is there too much head on this pint?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18A simple test can tell Ash and the team.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25First, an anti-foaming agent is dripped into a specially-calibrated flask to turn the whole pint,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28including the head, into liquid.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34The flask will tell Ash exactly how much beer is in this glass.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35The results are in.
0:35:36 > 0:35:41The line for the perfect pint is there.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Basically, we are only about 7, maybe 8mls short of a pint.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50That's nearly 99% of a pint. Well within the guidelines.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54That was, yeah, a fairly healthy pint there.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57If I was served one of these pints I'd be quite happy.
0:35:59 > 0:36:05Time for the next pub. Once again the team pose as customers.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08So we've got a pint of Stella and a pint of Fosters.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11And it's not looking good.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Both of those look to have fairly substantial heads on them,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18so, I think when we have a look to see exactly what they contain,
0:36:18 > 0:36:23we'll have a better idea of exactly how much fluid is contained within that.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29The team carry out the same tests on the beer and the results are pretty conclusive.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33- This little red line here should be what the pint should be.- Yes.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36And what we've got is this much.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39It's actually gone off the scale here.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43The pint is 40ml short.
0:36:43 > 0:36:49With a bit of number crunching, it's clear that you might want to look elsewhere for your evening drink.
0:36:49 > 0:36:55What we've actually got here, is we've actually got a pint which we've paid £2.90 for.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58In reality, we should have paid £2.69 for that same pint.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00That, to me, would be a fake pint.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I'm not getting the full pint of beer that I've actually paid for.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08This pub's pulling 21 pence less than a full pint.
0:37:08 > 0:37:13So, Ash isn't going to pull any punches when it comes to giving the manager some friendly advice.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18You're trained to dispense this so you must make sure that the consumer gets what they've paid for.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Yeah?
0:37:20 > 0:37:26If you were to go into a petrol station, yeah? And you put in £20 worth of petrol but only got £19 out,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29you wouldn't like that. You wouldn't be happy. Yeah?
0:37:29 > 0:37:33And it might not be the way the pints are being pulled.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36It could even be down to the glasses having the wrong markings.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39We're going to seize these two glasses.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44Ash and the Weights and Measures team will investigate this bar further
0:37:44 > 0:37:50to find out what caused the short pint and they'll analyse the glasses the pints are served in.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53For Ash, it's a victory for protecting your rights as a consumer
0:37:53 > 0:37:56so that you know you're getting what you're paying for.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Under the circumstances that we've just seen,
0:37:59 > 0:38:05if that was replicated in all the pubs right throughout the country for every pint sold,
0:38:05 > 0:38:12that would mean £159 million extra that consumers are paying for. It's absolutely staggering.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Back in his local cosy pub that sells real pints,
0:38:19 > 0:38:25Iain and the Campaign For Real Ale are taking a glass half full approach to the problem.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29They say you don't have to settle for a pint you're not quite happy with!
0:38:29 > 0:38:35Consumers should rebel and ask for their pints to be topped up and get genuine pints
0:38:35 > 0:38:37and not be content with fake pints.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52We've seen how the fakers are trying to smuggle counterfeit cigarettes into Britain
0:38:52 > 0:38:57and spoken to the victims of the fake cigarette factories being built right here in the UK.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03And while we all know that smoking real cigarettes is bad for you,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06smoking fake cigarettes could be even worse.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12These fake cigarettes were seized in a series of raids by Blackpool Trading Standards.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16We had them tested at Lancashire Scientific Services.
0:39:16 > 0:39:23Andrew Smith will check to see if there's anything unusual, or even harmful, inside them.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26They may contain certain substances which are toxic
0:39:26 > 0:39:29or dangerous to health.
0:39:31 > 0:39:37This looks like a simple test, but after years of experience scrutinising fake cigarettes,
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Andrew can see the wood for the trees.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46There are some fairly serious chunks of what appears to be wood in this one.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50You wouldn't find chunks of wood in legitimately-produced cigarettes.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55They appear to be cigarettes made of tobacco contaminated with floor sweepings.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00The presence of pieces of wood are obviously not normal in cigarettes.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03There's evidence that it is a counterfeit product.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09Smoking floor sweepings is bad enough, but research shows that inhaling wood smoke
0:40:09 > 0:40:13can be as harmful as breathing in fumes from a car exhaust.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Fake cigarettes have been found to contain animal hairs and even droppings.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22But the human eye can only see so much.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29With access to state-of-the-art equipment, Andrew has, in the past, analysed fake cigarettes
0:40:29 > 0:40:34which contained substances a lot more harmful than that.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Time for some heavy metal.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43This is the equipment we use to measure the amount of heavy metals in the samples.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46It measures, lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52In recent samples of counterfeit tobacco,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54we found high levels of lead,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57which is a central nervous system poison.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03Lead is also a long-term cumulative poison.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09And the levels we've found are very much higher than we would find in normal cigarettes.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15A steady build up of heavy metals could play havoc with your health.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21The result of smoking these over a period of time would be that the heavy metals accumulate in the body
0:41:21 > 0:41:27resulting in the classic signs of heavy metal poisoning, which is a central nervous system poison.
0:41:27 > 0:41:35Classically, for mercury, that would be the Mad Hatter syndrome where people exhibit signs of dementia.
0:41:36 > 0:41:43Fake cigarettes have been found to contain 75% more tar, 28% more nicotine
0:41:43 > 0:41:47and 63% more carbon monoxide than you'd find in real ones.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50That's double the amount of cancer-causing agents.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56After they've been seized and tested, they need to be destroyed
0:41:56 > 0:42:00so there's no chance of them falling in to the wrong hands.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04And HM Revenue and Customs have come up with an ingenious and environmentally-friendly way
0:42:04 > 0:42:08to turn something fake into something functional.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14The cigarettes are taken to a secret facility
0:42:14 > 0:42:16where they're shredded and then pulped.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19With the final product being taken to power stations
0:42:19 > 0:42:23where it is used to generate electricity for the National Grid.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32That's all from Fake Britain today. Bye for now.
0:42:48 > 0:42:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd