Mohammed Shafiq, 46, Jailed for Transporting Counterfeit Goods to Market
A man has been sentenced to prison after being caught with fake goods on his way to Wellesbourne Market
Wellesbourne, Birmingham, Counterfeit Goods, Mohammed Shafiq, National Trading Standards
Birmingham: So, there’s this guy, Mohammed Shafiq, who got himself into a heap of trouble. He was on his way to Wellesbourne Market with a van full of counterfeit stuff—clothes, perfumes, you name it. Not exactly a smart move, right?
He’s 46 and used to live in Balsall Heath. The court didn’t take it lightly. They slapped him with a four-and-a-half-year sentence after he admitted to conspiracy to counterfeit. Ouch!
This whole mess started back in January 2019 when National Trading Standards officers found a stash of fake goods in a warehouse he rented in Digbeth. They even found the machinery he used to slap fake labels on plain items. Talk about organized crime!
Fast forward to December 2020, and he was caught again, this time driving a van loaded with counterfeit goods from Coventry to the market. The judge called it “counterfeiting on an industrial scale.”
Among the fakes were some pretty recognizable brands, like Beats by Dre headphones and Stone Island jackets. Not cool!
Lord Michael Bichard from National Trading Standards spoke out about the dangers of counterfeiting. He said it’s not just about losing money; fake electrical goods can be fire hazards, and fake beauty products might have harmful ingredients. Yikes!