COUNTERFEIT football shirts and kits worth more than £5 million have been seized.
Trading standards officers seized about 58,000 kits ahead of the FIFA World Cup kicking off in what is believed to be one of the largest operations of its kind in the UK.
The haul, weighing more than nine tonnes and valued at over £5 million, was uncovered during a series of intelligence-led operations carried out by the City of Edinburgh Council in partnership with Police Scotland and the National Trading Standards Intellectual Property Team.
The counterfeit merchandise, which included large quantities of England and Scotland kits, as well as shirts from other national teams, has been confirmed as fake by brand holders and will now be securely recycled.
Investigations into the source and distribution networks remain ongoing.
Authorities warned that counterfeit clothing can bypass safety regulations and may contain harmful materials or dyes.
Enforcement bodies also highlighted links between the counterfeit goods trade and organised crime, including human trafficking and modern slavery.
Christopher Bell, chair of the Society of Chief Trading Standards Officers in Scotland, described the operation as “a great result”, noting the scale of the challenge faced by enforcement teams nationwide.
He said: “The scale of such a seizure shows the challenge faced by Trading Standards teams throughout the country.
“Officers help to protect legitimate trade and intercept illicit goods, which are often linked to organised crime.”
The Courier has asked East Lothian Council if any counterfeit kits were seized in the county.
And, although no football kits have been seized, other products have been.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Our trading standards officers in East Lothian have seized in the region of 500 counterfeit products intended for distribution during the World Cup over the last couple of weeks.
"These were mainly ‘squishies’ along with fidget spinners.
"Several of the counterfeit products bore FIFA trademarks.
“The products were voluntarily surrendered to our officers so we do not intend to proceed with a report to the procurator fiscal on this occasion.
"As many of the goods came from small businesses, our aim by having them surrendered voluntarily is to provide advice and guidance to those businesses so they only purchase from reputable suppliers of genuine products in the future.
“Our officers will continue to work to identify and seize any counterfeits being sold in East Lothian to help protect the public from potentially unsafe or substandard products.
"The trade in such illicit goods is also often linked to organised crime.”
