The 374 dolls people will pay thousands for taken off the shelves in Greater Manchester

Last year, Manchester cops teamed up with the council to seize millions of pounds worth of dodgy items, including cigarettes, vapes, and 374 unsafe Labubu dolls, which have taken off in popularity since being seen on K-pop star Lisa’s bag. The demand for Labubus has skyrocketed, with some selling for thousands on the second-hand market due to their mystery ‘blind packaging’. Trading standards warned that the takings from these operations could cost the counterfeiting industry up to £43 million. Big finds included over 316,000 fake cigarettes and 18,000 illegal vapes. Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon praised the efforts of Operations Elswick and Machinize, which aim to cleanse Manchester of counterfeit crime and rejuvenate affected areas. These operations followed the success of Op Vulcan, which shut down 200 dodgy shops in a previous crackdown. Cops seized over 1,000 tonnes of counterfeit goods and nearly £520,000 in cash, which helped reduce violent crime and led to plans for new homes and a park in Strangeways.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News