Video footage has captured the staggering amount of fake designer clothing and goods stored and sold at a small unit on Manchester’s infamous ‘Counterfeit Street’.
The run-down brick building on a cobbled street in Strangeways was raided by police – who uncovered a treasure trove of knock-off merchandise.
Investigators have now revealed what they found over two floors on Jury Street, off Bury New Road in Cheetham Hill, as a 68-year-old trader who was arrested inside at the time was convicted and sentenced.
The footage captures dozens of boxes of clothing and footwear, with counterfeit t-shirts, jackets and jumpers hung up on walls. Cardboard boxes are stacked high on a staircase, with the first floor mirroring the scene below. Another room features an array of fake handbags and other goods.
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In total, officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police seized over 19,000 counterfeit items during the search warrant at the shop in 2021. The specialist police unit said fake perfume and watches were being sold there for £15 each.
As reported in the M.E.N, Saeed Iqbal, of Sandringham Road, Stockport, has narrowly avoided jail. He’s previously been jailed for selling fake goods, with a judge in the latest case describing his decision to return to the same crime as ‘astonishing’, saying he has a young family.
Manchester Crown Court heard an undercover investigator attended the unit in July, 2020, and spoke with Iqbal. William Staunton, prosecuting, said they discussed the purchase of Superdry products. The investigator also made a test purchase of fragrances which were said to be by Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Versace.
More than 19,000 items were seized
(Image: City of London Police)
Police then raided the unit in 2021. Seized items included goods purporting to be made by luxury brands including Yves Saint Laurent, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada, Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss.
The court heard about £60,000 had been transferred into two bank accounts operated by Iqbal, between July 2020 and April 2021.
An expert said that if the goods had been legitimate, they could have been worth anything from £285,000 to £952,000.
Units selling fakes have been targeted by police
(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
City of London Police said laboratory tests of counterfeit perfume previously seized have shown that it can contain poisonous chemicals, including cyanide, and human urine, which can cause skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns. Counterfeit electronics can break quickly or cause electrical faults, posing a fire risk.
Police Staff Investigator Adam Watkins, from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police, said: “Counterfeiting funds other criminal activity such as drugs supply, human trafficking and money laundering. Counterfeit sellers care little about the safety of their customers in the face of a quick profit. Fake perfume and electronics like those sold by Iqbal are often untested and unregulated, which puts users at risk.
Fake goods on sale inside
(Image: City of London Police)
“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.”
Iqbal pleaded guilty to two counts of the unauthorised use of a trademark. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out ten rehabilitation activity requirement days, and pay £500 in prosecution costs.
In May last year, GMP chief constable Stephen Watson declared victory over ‘counterfeit street’ following a large scale police clampdown. In October 2022, the force launched Operation Vulcan, making arrests and shutting down units selling fake goods in the area once known as the ‘counterfeit capital of Europe’.
Police said the area was controlled by at least 32 gangs who were also said to have been involved in drug dealing and exploitation. The area is set to be bulldozed, with buildings on Bury New Road to be closed, compulsory purchased, and flattened.