The director of a Southall company has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being caught with 18 tonnes of fake luxury goods worth millions of pounds.
Isleworth Crown Court heard that, during a raid on Bling Master Company Limited’s warehouse in April 2023, trading standards officers from Ealing Council seized approximately 53,000 fake designer goods. They were worth an estimated loss to the fashion industry of £5million.
The items ranged from jewellery, handbags, and perfumes to clothing and footwear and included knock-off imitations of brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors. They were being stored and sold from a unit at Charles House in Bridge Road.
Consequences of criminality
Parvesh Virmani, of Brabazon Road in Hounslow, was the sole company director of Bling Master Company Limited and had pleaded guilty to offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at an earlier hearing. At the sentencing hearing on 17 March, the judge sentenced him to 8 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years (meaning he could go to jail in that time if he commits any further offences), as well as 100 hours’ unpaid work and a 15-day rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to pay a £1,200 contribution to legal costs.
The seized goods will be destroyed. Bling Master Company Limited was dissolved in January 2024.
The inspection on the company had been carried out in partnership with members of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group. It is an industry body that represents more than 3,000 brands affected by this influx of fakes into the UK.
‘Not a victimless crime’
According to industry figures, fake goods cost the UK economy more than £8.6billion in lost revenue, and at least 86,300 jobs are also lost as a result. That means counterfeiting deprives the country of much-needed tax revenue to spend on crucial public services.
Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal is the council’s lead member for decent living incomes. She said: “Counterfeiters aim to deceive consumers into believing they are buying safe, high-quality products made by well-known, reputable companies. The products are often far from that, and can sometimes even be dangerous, having not undergone any safety checks.
“Buying fakes may seem harmless enough, but it is not a victimless crime. It lines the pockets of organised crime groups, with profits fuelling gang-related activity, human trafficking, and even terrorism. It also damages legitimate businesses and robs the taxpayer of legitimate income.
“Our hardworking trading standards officers will use all means available to protect our communities and businesses from the threat posed by those dealing in counterfeit goods.”
Tell the council if you spot fake goods being sold
If you have information on anyone selling illegal products in the borough, please report it to Ealing Council’s trading standards team on tradingstandards@ealing.gov.uk.
