Birmingham counterfeiter sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison

A Birmingham man was sentenced on 2 January 2025 to 4 ½ years imprisonment at Birmingham Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to counterfeiting.

Mohammed Shafiq (46), formerly of Poplar Avenue, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, had previously pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to supply counterfeit goods, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

The case concludes an investigation conducted by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations Team (West Midlands) who have been investigating counterfeiters across the Midlands as part of Operation Beorma.

This particular prosecution related to a large seizure of counterfeit goods – including clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, accessories and electrical items – from a unit built into the car park at Elite House on Warwick Street in Digbeth. Also found in the unit were assorted trademarked labels and machinery to apply such labels onto ‘plain’ items.

This seizure had taken place in January 2019, and Mohammed Shafiq was found to be one of the individuals who had rented the unit and had provided a copy of his passport as part of the rental process.

In December 2020, Mr Shafiq was further caught driving a van load of counterfeit goods from Coventry to Wellesbourne Market in Warwickshire. The van, which was being driven on cloned plates, contained items similar to those that had been recovered from the storage facility in Digbeth.

In sentencing Mr Shafiq to 4 ½ years imprisonment, HHJ Mukherjee described Mr Shafiq, who has previous convictions for similar matters, as a ‘serial offender’ and described the activity as ‘organised crime’ and ‘counterfeiting on an industrial scale’.

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said:

“Counterfeiting misleads consumers into parting with hard earned money for fake products, but the practice also puts victims at risk of even greater harm than financial loss. Aside from being poor quality, fake electrical goods can be a fire hazard, while fake cosmetics, perfumes and beauty products can contain harmful ingredients as criminals don’t care about safety standards. Even fake designer clothes and accessories cause huge harm as the trade props up organised crime.

“We’re proud to have supported this investigation – one of the largest ever undertaken in the West Midlands – and we urge people to be vigilant and report any examples of sales of counterfeit goods by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”

Councillor Sam Forsyth, Chair of Birmingham City Council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said:

“This was one of the largest operations ever to be disrupted in the city. People may think counterfeiting is a victimless crime, but it's not.

"Counterfeiting is often linked to organised crime, drugs, modern slavery and child labour. They are ripping off the consumers, legitimate businesses and Inland Revenue. Birmingham Trading Standards will do everything they can to disrupt these organised crime groups who are involved in this illicit business."