No common scents: counterfeit perfume seller sentenced

A man who sold counterfeit designer sportswear, trainers, jewellery and perfume to the public from a shop in Manchester has been sentenced. 

Raja Khan, 43, of Kearsley Road, Manchester, sold the items from Lal Qila on Moulton Street in Strangeways, Manchester.  

Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police raided Lal Qila in August 2021 and seized a total of £116,200 worth of counterfeit products purporting to be from approximately 40 different brands. 

While fake perfume can look almost identical to its genuine counterparts, laboratory tests of samples previously seized by PIPCU have shown that it can contain poisonous chemicals, including cyanide, and even human urine. They can cause reactions such as skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns. 

Khan pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court on 28 March 2024 to 38 counts of distributing articles infringing trademarks. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order at the same court on 10 May 2024 and must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work.  

Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at 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.” 

The case was referred to PIPCU on 23 March 2021, after a sportswear brand discovered that its products were being sold at Lal Qila without its authorisation, leading it to suspect that they were counterfeit.

After further investigation, officers from PIPCU arrested Khan during a search warrant executed at the shop on 17 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.

When he was interviewed by officers, Khan answered “no comment” to all questions asked. However, an examination of his 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.