Three people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the sale of fake airbags.

City of London Police carried out early morning raids in Leyton and Ilford, east London, seizing 500 counterfeit airbags and £140,000 in cash.

Most of the money, around £110,000, was hidden wrapped in nappies in a wall cavity in one of the houses that was searched.

A close up of a fake BMW airbag.
Police warned that while buying a fake airbag may seem like a good deal, the devices may not deploy when needed (City of London Police/PA)

Three men aged 34, 36 and 51 were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to distribute counterfeit goods during the operation on September 19.

They have since been released under investigation.

It is suspected that the airbags were imported into the UK from China and then sold abroad.

The raids were carried out by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, following a tip-off from the US Department of Homeland Security.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Warbey from City of London Police said: “Counterfeit airbags pose a serious threat to customers who purchase them and have them installed in their vehicles.

“These airbags aren’t manufactured to industry standards, so there’s a real possibility that they won’t inflate during a road traffic collision, or will deploy in error.

Various steering wheels and airbags that were seized during the raids.
Raids were carried out in east London on September 19 by officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit of City of London Police (City of London Police/PA)

“Counterfeiting a device designed to save lives demonstrates the lengths that criminals will go to make money and their disregard for the safety of the people who will end up using these products.

“The fake airbags we seized today are sold at prices far below the cost of quality, genuine equipment. We know that the offer of a good deal can be enticing, but it’s always important to buy vehicle parts from a reputable seller.”

The airbags were sold for as little as £25.

In the US, a consumer alert by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned that three people there were killed and two injured between September 2023 and July 2024 after their cars were fitted with substandard replacement airbag inflators.