Sweet smell of success against perfume scamsters

Updated:Dec 2008

Sweet smell of success against Potteries perfume scamsters

A 36 year-old man from Whitmore Heath, near Newcastle Under Lyme has been ordered to pay £272,435 for his involvement in a £2.5 million fake perfume scam - or face three years in jail.

He was snared when Staffordshire Police and Trading Standards officers swooped on a factory unit in Shelton, Stoke On Trent and seized 25,000 bottles of fake perfume.
Packaging for more than 122,000 brand name perfume labels, including Armani, Chanel and Hugo Boss were discovered in a second raid on a Hanley unit.

Jatinder Bains, of The Dingle, Whitmore Heath, was arrested together with his brother Mandip Bains, 26 years, also of The Dingle, and Mark Lawton, 26 years, of Bower Street, Hanley.

They were arrested before the perfume could be sold on the open market. At an average retail price of between £25 and £50 for a bottle of perfume, it is estimated the scam would have netted £4 million.
Addressing Jatinder Bains, he said: "I declare that you have benefited to the extent of £2.5 million - the amount which can be realised by way of confiscation order is £272,435. In default of payment you will be imprisoned for a total of three years."

The Confiscation Hearing, carried out by the Midlands Regional Asset Recovery Team, followed on the heels of a 27 month prison sentence for Jatinder Bains for offences of conspiracy related to the application of illegal trade marks and distribution of counterfeit perfume.

The two others, Mandip Bains and Mark Lawton who also pleaded guilty in April were given 200 hours’ community service. Nominal confiscation amounts were yesterday awarded against them.

Det Insp Mark Abbotts, of Staffordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “This group stood to make vast sums of money from their scam. The court has now assessed the benefit to be £2.5 million. The confiscation order and the earlier sentences reflect that, and should act as a deterrent to others.

“This was a joint investigation between Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent Trading Standards. The financial investigation conducted by the Regional Asset Recovery Team was particularly extensive. I would like to thank all the officers and staff from the agencies involved for their hard work in bringing about this successful prosecution.”

Yvonne Stone, Head of the Midlands Regional Asset Recovery Team said " This is another example of multi agency co-operation producing an excellent result. We will continue to work alongside the likes of Staffordshire Police and Trading Standards in pursuing the recovery of funds from those involved in crime".