Police warn fake perfume could contain 'human urine' as shopkeeper sentenced for selling £116k of counterfeit goods

Police seized £116,200 worth of counterfeit designer gear from a shop after being tipped off by a sportswear brand. The big name had discovered its products were being sold 'without authorisation', rousing suspicions they were fakes.

Raja Khan had a range of sportswear, trainers and jewellery on sale to the public, purporting to be from approximately 40 different brands on sale. Shelves of fake perfume, which could have had "harmful effects" on customers, were also discovered during the raid at Lal Qila on Moulton Street, Manchester, in August 2021.

Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit at City of London Police warned that while fake perfume usually looked identical to its genuine counterparts, laboratory tests of samples previously seized found poisonous chemicals, including cyanide, and even human urine. Use of the perfumes could cause reactions such as skin irritation, swelling, rashes and burns.

READ MORE: Aldi £35 air fryer that 'sold out within hours' now back in stock - here's how you can get it

In total, around 4,500 counterfeit items were seized from the shop, along with £12,045 in cash. Following his arrest, Khan, 43, of Kearsley Road, Manchester, answered "no comment" to all questions asked - but 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.

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

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Daryl Fryatt, from 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.”