A trader in the 'UK's counterfeit capital' was caught selling fake Chanel and Michael Kors jewellery and fake Royal British Legion poppy badges on a weekend to avoid authorities, a court heard.
Manchester City Council Trading Standard Officers seized more than 1,700 counterfeit goods from Moda Jewellery in Derby Street - near Strangeways prison - in March 2018.
They found products claiming to be Chanel, Michael Kors and Royal British Legion poppies.
Officers visited again in May 2019 after receiving intelligence that fake jewellery was still being sold at the premises, and found another 640 fake items.
Council bosses believe that the goods were being sold at a weekend to avoid regular enforcement action.
At Manchester Magistrates' Court the shop manager Tao Qu, 50, said these items had come through in an 'imported bulk order' and that he was not aware that they were fake.
He said he was trying to get rid of them and denied intentionally trying to sell them on a weekend.
But Qu, and the trading company Fashion Button Ltd, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of being in possession of counterfeit goods on January 9.
He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,345 and a victim surcharge of £100.
The company was ordered to pay a total fine of £6,500, a victim surcharge of £50 and costs of £1,345.
After the sentencing, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “I’m grateful for the diligent work of our Trading Standards officers and our legal team in successfully securing this prosecution.
"The sale of fake goods continues to be a blight on our communities with the products sold being shoddy at best, and dangerous at worst.
"We know through our links with Greater Manchester Police that the sale of counterfeit merchandise often has links to organised crime, which is why we remain committed to stamping out this type of criminality.
"Furthermore it is disheartening to yet again see fake Poppy merchandise being sold so openly.
"The Poppy Appeal is a deeply significant charity for millions of people and to see it abused for the sake of profit is appalling.”
The area near Strangeways prison has previously been dubbed the counterfeit capital of Europe, due to the amount of shops selling fakes.
In December 2018, police seized 1,407 fake items from a shop on Moulton Street off Bury New Road - including poppy badges.
In another raid in December, an 'enormous haul' of knock-off designer goods were discovered after a raid on Great Ducie Street.
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