A shopkeeper who sold fake designer sportswear, trainers, jewellery and “dangerous” perfume in Manchester, has been sentenced.
It was a major sportswear brand that alerted police to the Lal Qila shop on Moulton Street in Strangeways.
Officers from City of London Police raided the store in August 2021 and seized £116,200 worth of rogue goods.
Police also reported that laboratory tests of samples of fake perfume previously seized, have shown it can contain poisonous chemicals including cyanide – and even human urine.
Raja Khan (43) of Kearsley Road, Crumpsall, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court on March 28, to 38 counts of distributing articles infringing trademarks. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order at the same court on Friday, and must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Detective constable Daryl Fryatt, from City of London Police, said: “Counterfeiting can help fund other crimes such as human and drug trafficking and money laundering. Selling counterfeit goods is illegal and Khan’s sentencing should make it clear to criminals that you will get caught and punished for selling them to the public.
“Counterfeiters have little regard for the safety of the people who buy these goods. We found tens of thousands of pounds worth of counterfeit goods inside Lal Qila, including perfume that could have had harmful effects on customers.
“For the public, it’s vital to remember that you don’t know what other crimes you could be enabling when buying counterfeit items, or what conditions they have been made in.”
Police arrested Khan during a search warrant executed at the shop in August. They seized around 4,500 counterfeit items and £12,045 in cash. The total value of the items, as priced and sold at Lal Qila, was estimated to be worth £116,000.
An examination of Khan’s mobile phones showed that he had exchanged a number of messages with clients in which it was apparent that he was selling counterfeit items.
The £12,045 in cash seized from Lal Qila has since been forfeited.
