A MAN who was caught on his way to Wellesbourne Market with counterfeit clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, accessories and electrical items has been jailed.
Mohammed Shafiq, 46, formerly of Poplar Avenue, Balsall Heath, was sentenced on 2nd January to four-and-a-half years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to counterfeiting.
Goods found in Digbeth (Image: National Trading Standards)
It followed an investigation by National Trading Standards officers who twice seized counterfeit goods from Shafiq.
The first occasion was in January 2019 from a warehouse he rented in Digbeth. As well as counterfeit goods, there were also trademarked labels and machinery to apply the labels onto ‘plain’ items.
In December 2020, Shafiq was caught driving a van load of counterfeit goods from Coventry to Wellesbourne Market.
In sentencing Shafiq, who has previous convictions for similar offences, the judge described the activity as “organised crime” and “counterfeiting on an industrial scale”.
Good found include fake Beats by Dre headphones and Stone Island jackets.
Lord Michael Bichard, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “Counterfeiting misleads consumers into parting with hard-earned money for fake products, but the practice also puts victims at risk of even greater harm than financial loss.
“Aside from being poor quality, fake electrical goods can be a fire hazard, while fake cosmetics, perfumes and beauty products can contain harmful ingredients as criminals don’t care about safety standards.”