Czech Sting Reveals Eastern Europe'S Fake Spirits Boom

The amount of seized counterfeit goods in the Czech Republic, including Alcohol & cigarettes is set to double from 2005, according to figures from Czech authorities. The Business Inspectorate seized 600,000 counterfeit goods in 2005 & says the figures have already been matched in the first half of this year alone. The problem is not just in the Czech Republic, however, with statistics from the EU's Taxation & Customs Union charting a steady rise in fake alcohol brands across the bloc. In 2004 there were 4.5m items confiscated. A rise in seizures has fuelled wider fears that the production of counterfeit alcohol in Eastern Europe is increasing.