A trader could be jailed after he admitted running a huge counterfeit clothing operation.
Ian Jones travelled to China and Turkey to buy goods which he then stored at depots in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.
Using only word of mouth and accepting only cash, he sold to customers keen to pay bargain prices for designer labels.
Hamilton Sheriff Court (Image: Gordon Terris)
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that items seized in three raids would have been worth £3.8 million if sold as genuine.
Jones, 65, of Paisley Road, Paisley, admitted 15 charges under the Trade Marks Act.
The clothing, bags and accessories he flogged had top labels such as Burberry, Prada, Chanel, Canada Goose and Hermes.
Kevin Morrow, prosecuting, said trading standards officers were tipped off about the use of premises in Copland Road, Ibrox, Glasgow, for the storage of counterfeit goods.
A raid was carried out in June 2021 and 30 tonnes of items, mostly clothing, was found in five storage units.
Jones told trading standards officers: "Your timing was perfect. I just stocked up yesterday. You'll need more people and vans."
Mr Morrow told the court: "It was the largest seizure of its kind in the UK at that time."
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Despite the disruption to his illegal activities, Jones continued to operate and was busted again in November 2022 when further quantities of counterfeit goods were found in four shipping containers at industrial premises in Glenburn Road, East Kilbride.
More clothing was seized from premises in Righead Industrial Estate, Bellshill, in June the following year.
Mr Morrow stated: "The accused relied on word of mouth for business and didn't advertise on social media. He took only cash.
"When questioned he debated whether what he sold was counterfeit. He said factories made the original products and he went there and was able to buy them at a cheaper price.
"He didn't see anything wrong in what he was doing.
"He would buy stock from China and Turkey and have it shipped to England where he would collect it."
Jones appeared in court as a first offender.
Sheriff John Speir deferred sentence until June for background reports and an electronic tagging assessment.
The sheriff told him: "I am prepared to continue bail but the scale of this operation was such that you should be prepared for all eventualities."
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