Counterfeit goods conspiracy smashed

Mahmood Shah

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Taiba Parsa (born 15/04/1986) of Drake Street, Rochdale was part of a multi-million pound conspiracy to manufacture, import and sell counterfeit goods has been unmasked thanks to Greater Manchester Police.

Officers working under the umbrella of Operation Bank, based in Stretford, seized thousands of pounds worth of fake clothing, shoes and watches which 'if genuine' would have been worth £10m.

The counterfeit goods themselves could have been sold for more than £500,000.

Today, 1 February 2013, the gang at the heart of this criminal conspiracy have been sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Mahmood Shah (born 17/10/1968) of Hilton Crescent, Prestwich and Abdul Jalil (born 03/03/1978) of Duffield Court, Brennan, Close, were all convicted of conspiracy to defraud following a trial.

Sarwari Dlague (born 01/01/1980), of Ballater Walk, Cheetham Hill; Agha Khan (born 01/06/1985), of Ballater Walk, Cheetham Hill; Taiba Parsa (born 15/04/1986) of Drake Street, Rochdale and Ayesha Sarwary (born 15/10/1982) of Alexandra Road, Manchester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud at an earlier hearing.

Dlague was sentenced to three years in prison, Khan to 12 months in prison, Parsa to community service, Sarwary to community service, Shah was jailed for two years and Jalil to 12 months prison, suspended for 18 months

The gang were responsible for importing counterfeit goods from places such as China to business premises known as The Late Shop on Greatstone Road, Stretford. Evidence was seized that revealed counterfeit labels for 45 different brands of designer goods were then added to the items. Once they had been branded with the fake designer labels, they were then shipped onto another retail premises - The One Shop on Bury New Road -  to be sold on to members of the public.

Two other offenders - Qand Agha Sarwary and Sherin Agha Sarwary who are the brothers of Sarwari Dlague - are still outstanding and circulated as wanted.

Detective Constable Paul Yates and Detective Constable Sue Barker, who led the investigation, 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. I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of the officers involved who have helped achieve these excellent convictions, which have far-reaching implications for everyone working and living in Manchester.

"I want to make it clear just how damaging counterfeit goods can be not only to the UK economy but businesses right here in Manchester.

"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. In times of austerity, local businesses here in Manchester thrive on trade and if people are being persuaded to buy fake goods elsewhere, it put those businesses and people's livelihoods in jeopardy.

"That is why the successful conclusion of this case is such a fantastic result for retailers across the city. It sends out a powerful message that anyone involved in the importation and sale of counterfeit goods will be caught and face stringent penalties.

"Greater Manchester Police is working very closely with trademark owners, HM Revenue and Customs, Trading Standards, the commercial industry and other enforcement agencies to target these bandits and together we will do everything in our power to disrupt the organised crime groups involved."