Monday, February 04, 2013

Enormous stash of fake-label goods discovered after police expose sophisticated £500,000 racket


Boasting top designer labels like Bvlgari, Gucci, Barbour and Ugg, this Aladdin's cave of classic bling would sell on Britain's high street for £10m - if it were real.

In fact, everything in this picture is fake, having been created in sweat shops in China by workers earning around 30p an hour.

Today three men were starting jail sentences for their part in what police described as a 'highly profitable criminal venture' importing and selling fake designer goods.

All fake: This treasure trove of coveted labels including Bvlgari, Barbour and Gucci would be worth £10m if real
All fake: This treasure trove of coveted labels including Bvlgari, Barbour and Gucci would be worth £10m if real

Mahmood Shah, 44, Agha Khan, 27, and Sarwari Dlague, 33, were convicted of conspiracy to defraud at Manchester's Minshull Crown Court after a police operation uncovered their lucrative operation.

Imitation designer goods including watches, boots, handbags and clothes were seized by officers investigating the international crime gang which used two corner shops as a front for its giant counterfeiting racket.

All were imported from China to Manchester before fake designer labels, buckles or buttons were sewn onto them and they were sold on at well below market price, either via two Manchester corner shops or through the internet.

    Doing it this way avoided suspicion when the goods were checked by the Borders Agency when they arrived in the UK.

    Fake Gucci handbags and watches, GHD hair straighteners, UGG boots, Breitling and Tag Heuer watches, Tiffany and Cartier jewellery, Jimmy Choo handbags, and D&G clothing were among the counterfeit goods sold by the organisation.
    The scale of the gang's business was such that the goods police confiscated could have fetched £500,000.


    Sarwari Dlague, 33
    Jailed: Sarwari Dlague, 33
    Agha Khan, 27
    Jailed: Agha Khan, 27
    Mahmood Shah, 44
    Jailed: Mahmood Shah, 44
    The operation was discovered in November 2011 when surveillance officers acting on a tip-off saw one of the gang pick up a delivery of fake hair straighteners and unload them at The Late Shop, a convenience store.

    Police raided the shop and found a laptop which proved the gang's dealings with Chinese companies which provided the goods.

    The computer also showed that they had set up legitimate arrangements with unsuspecting courier companies such as DHL and UPS to arrange deliveries.

    Up to £30,000 in cash was found, along with more than 350 boxes packed with counterfeit goods.

    Desirable labels: Manchester police found a vast haul containing counterfeit designer goods
    Desirable labels: Manchester police found a vast haul containing counterfeit designer goods
    Looks expensive: The gang members added designer touches to goods only after they had been imported
    Looks expensive: The gang members added designer touches to goods only after they had been imported

    One of the mob was stopped by police and found to have three mobile phones, a large amount of cash, UGG metal badges and numerous invoices, as well as business cards for clothing businesses in China.

    Officers also recovered a box of buttons, labels and name plates for designer brands and when they searched a flat above the shop and they also seized two industrial sized sewing machines.

    The following month police raided another Manchester convenience store, The One Shop, and found piles of counterfeit branded clothing, footwear, jewellery and watches. 

    Sherin Agha
    Qand Agha Sarwary
    Police in Manchester still want to speak to Qand Agha Sarwary, left, and Sherin Agha Sarwary, right

    Further searches uncovered books containing lists of designer brands with figures next to them, and designer brand brass stamps. Officers also discovered evidence revealing large amounts of cash were paid to individuals in China via money transfers.

    DC Sue Crawford said: 'The cost of counterfeit goods for trademark owners, consumers and the UK economy is huge. The Home Office estimates the criminal gain from counterfeiting in the UK alone is worth £1.3bn every year.

    'While it might seem like a victimless crime and that buying a knock-off watch over the Internet is harmless, you are actually putting legitimate businesses at risk and as a consequence, putting people's jobs on the line.'

    Today Mahmood Shah, 44, of Prestwich was sentenced to two years in prison, Agha Khan, 27, of Manchester was given 12 months, and Sarwari Dlague, 33, also of Manchester, given three years in prison after all were convicted of conspiracy to defraud.

    Taiba Parsa, 26, of Rochdale and Ayesha Sarwary, 30, of Manchester, were given community service orders after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.

    Abdul Jalil, 34, also of Manchester, was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, after he, too, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud.

    The gang worked by importing goods from China and then selling them via two shops in Manchester and the internet
    The gang imported goods from China and then selling them via two shops in Manchester and the internet

    Two other men - Qand Agha Sarwary and Sherin Agha Sarwary who are the brothers of Sarwari Dlague - are wanted by police.

    DC Paul Yates said: 'Counterfeiting on this scale requires serious organisation, established distribution channels and money.

    'Judging by the swathes of boxes we seized that were stuffed with fake goods, it is clear this gang had set up a highly profitable criminal venture and were pocketing large sums of cash.

    'However, their arrogance and mistaken belief they could act with impunity eventually cost them dear.

    'We seized so much documentation and evidence that revealed both the scale of this criminal network and the undeniable involvement of those convicted.

    'The evidence was so overwhelming that they must have thought they would never be caught. But thanks to our officers their entire network came crashing down around them.'

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