Border Force Seizes Over 260,000 Labubu Imitations, Warns Public

Border Force and the Intellectual Property Office announced a major interception of counterfeit toys tied to this year s Labubu craze, reporting that roughly 90 percent of more than 260,000 fake items stopped at the UK border in 2025 were Labubu lookalikes. The seizure was revealed in a Home Office release issued on December 23, which said the bulk of the seized items posed safety hazards after failing laboratory checks.

Authorities said the campaign of targeted checks operated under Operation Foretide, a coordinated effort to identify high risk shipments and train officers to spot imitation products. The statement described the work as disrupting organised criminal activity, and explained that Border Force staff received specific training to detect telltale signs of counterfeit toys during cargo and postal inspections.

Safety testing of the intercepted items returned concerning results. About three quarters of the counterfeit toys failed safety tests, according to the release, with cited hazards including banned chemicals, choking risks from small parts, and electrical faults in battery powered items. These failures underline the difference between legitimate Labubu products, which are subject to consumer product standards, and unregulated imitations arriving in the UK market.

The scale of the interceptions matters for anyone buying toys or trading in sought after collectibles. Check sellers before purchasing, avoid suspiciously cheap deals, and prefer official retailers or well vetted marketplaces. Verify product descriptions, seller histories and available safety information, and be cautious with offers that undercut typical prices by a large margin.

For local retailers and collectors the announcement is a reminder to monitor supply chains and to report suspected counterfeit goods to authorities. Border Force framed the operation as a disruption of organised import channels, but warned that some harmful items can still enter circulation through online sales and private transfers. The agency encouraged vigilance ahead of the holiday season and into the new year.