Three counterfeit goods salesmen sentenced after police seize £1 million of fake designer products from hidden basement shop

A counterfeit goods shopkeeper and his two accomplices have been sentenced after police seized over £1 million worth of fake designer products from the basement unit of a fast food takeaway shop in Manchester.

Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police raided the unit in October 2020 and April 2021, and seized a combined total of 11,095 counterfeit items which, if genuine, would have been worth an estimated £1,045,774.

The men pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates Court on 23 February 2023 to distributing articles infringing trademarks. They were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on 6 June 2023 as follows:

• Fraidon Wadood, 40, of Barrow Hill Road, Greater Manchester, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, and 200 hours community service.
• Moshtagh Hashimi, 47, of Sandyhills, Bolton, was sentenced to 39 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and 200 hours community service.
• Imran Jabarkhail, 21, of Clarendon Street, Greater Manchester, was sentenced to 30 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and 50 hours community service.

An investigation by PIPCU revealed that Wadood had rented the basement unit and had set it up as a shop, while Hashimi and Jabarkhail served customers.

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said:

“Selling counterfeit goods is illegal. The men tried to hide their illegitimate business under the guise of a fast food shop, and part of Jabarkhail’s job was to let the others know if police were nearby.

“Jabarkhail and Hashimi knew that their actions were against the law, so it was infuriating to see Hashimi back on the shop floor when we went to the shop for a second time. However, our investigation identified Wadood as the ringleader of this operation and put an end to his scheme.

“We hope that this result sends a strong message to other criminals involved in the sale of counterfeit goods that this will not be tolerated.”

Officers from PIPCU, supported by representatives from its partner agencies, first raided the premises, located on Bury New Road, Manchester, on 21 October 2020. During the raid, they seized 6,652 items of counterfeit clothing, watches, jewellery and perfume, and arrested Jabarkhail and Hashimi.   

During their police interviews, the men confirmed that they knew they were involved in the distribution of counterfeit products and that doing so is illegal.

Jabarkhail told officers that he was employed by Hashimi as a ‘spotter’ to look out for police and close the shop if they were in the area. Hashimi stated that he worked for a man named Pablo, but was unable to provide further details.

Further investigation suggested that Pablo was an alias used by Wadood, who rented the basement unit from the building’s landlord.

PIPCU officers raided the premises for a second time on 16 April 2021 and seized 4,443 counterfeit items. Hashimi and Wadood, who were both on the shop floor at the time, were arrested.

During his second police interview, Hashimi told officers that he worked for Wadood, who took his alias from Pablo Escobar. Hashimi stated that his role was to restock the shop and serve customers, and that the average selling price of an item in the shop was around £25.  

If the counterfeit items seized by PIPCU had sold at this price, it is estimated that those involved in running the shop would have made £277,375.

Wadood confirmed that he worked with Hashimi, but did not recognise Jabarkhail. While he initially told officers that he had sublet the shop from another man, Wadood later admitted that he rented the basement unit directly from the landlord of the building.

The basement unit was shut down following the second warrant and officers worked with the owner of the building to ensure that Wadood’s lease was terminated.

Marcus Evans, Deputy Director of Intelligence and Law Enforcement at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), said:

“Criminals are seeking to exploit consumers and communities for their own financial gain through the trade in illegal counterfeits – with absolutely no regard for the quality or safety of the items being sold, which are often dangerous and defective. Such items can cause genuine harm to the people who buy and use them, as well as those workers often exploited during their production.

“As well as helping to sustain criminal lifestyles, the sale of counterfeit goods has been estimated to contribute to over 80,000 job loses each year in the UK by diverting funds away from legitimate traders and into the hands of criminals. We are pleased to support the ongoing activity by our colleagues in law enforcement to clamp down on this illegal activity and bring those involved to justice,  as we continue to work with partners across industry, government and law enforcement to help empower consumers and raise awareness of the damage counterfeits cause.”  

The counterfeit goods seized from the unit will now be recycled.