Latest news with #LouisVuitton
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Doubts after 'unprecedented' arrests over luxury fakes
Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Doubts after 'unprecedented' arrests over luxury fakes
Three men accused of running a multimillion-dollar fake luxury goods empire have been bailed after a lawyer's extraordinary claim governments may be complicit by receiving tax on their sales. Brothers Ahmad Kase Siddiqi, 30, and Ahmad Jawade Siddiqi, 33, as well as Shadi Skaf, 30, have been charged over the sale of everything from counterfeit Rolex watches to Cartier bracelets and Louis Vuitton bags. When police raided their homes on Wednesday, they seized high-end cars including a Mercedes AMG and Lamborghinis. But as a bail hearing resumed on Friday the trio's lawyers maintained it was unclear what crime the accused men had committed. The federal government might be "aiding and abetting" or "conspiring" with the men by taking their income tax, Jawade Siddiqi's barrister Steven Boland alleged. While police have said the scheme netted about $9.75 million in profits, that figure came from bank records stretching back to 2017. Court documents indicate the alleged offences - which include dealing with the proceeds of crime - only took place from 2022. There had also been no concealment of business activity, lawyers argued. Mr Boland told Parramatta Local Court the decision to charge his client was "unprecedented" because police did not make more of an effort to shut down counterfeit sales at markets. "If it's really criminal to import these items, to sell them and to knowingly import these items, you shouldn't be able to walk into a market ... and buy them," he told the court. "There's no government information to that effect, just a suburban police station laying a charge." There were no allegations of fraud, but a breach of intellectual property made by police, rather than brand owners, Mr Boland argued. "It's not clear the brand owners even know or care," he said. Describing the strength of the prosecution case as "moderate", Magistrate Emma Manea bailed the trio on strict conditions. She found issues surrounding the date range of the alleged offending, along with what type of offence underpinned their dealing with proceeds of crime charges. Bail conditions included paying a $50,000 surety, reporting to a police station twice a day, not using social media and not associating with one another. During their raids earlier this week, officers confiscated a cache of more than 500 counterfeit luxury items, such as handbags, sneakers and watches - all imported from China - across three sites. More than $250,000 in cash and a gel blaster firearm were also seized. Fake watches of "extremely good quality" that resembled genuine articles worth more than $20,000 were sold to customers for $800 apiece, police said. Police allege more than one of the trio was receiving Centrelink payments while benefiting from the proceeds of their crimes. The allegedly tainted assets were now under the control of the NSW Crime Commission, its executive director said.
Qatar Tribune
8 hours ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Vietnam cracks down on fake goods as United States tariffs loom
Agencies Since the United States accused Vietnam of being a hub for counterfeit goods, Tran Le Chi has found it increasingly hard to track down her favorite fake Chanel T-shirts, Gucci sunglasses and Louis Vuitton handbags. As Vietnam's government tries to head off President Donald Trump's threatened 46 percent tariff, it has launched a crackdown on fake products - in part to show responsiveness to US concerns. Now there are streets filled with shuttered shops in Hanoi and rows of closed stalls at Saigon Square shopping mall, a major clothing market in Ho Chi Minh City - the kind of places Chi used to go to buy her latest gear. 'The clothes help me look trendy,' Chi told AFP. 'Why would I care if they are fake or not?' Chi - a betting agent for an illegal game known as lo-de, where punters predict the last two lotto numbers of the standard daily draw - said she had never paid more than $40 per 'designer' item. 'Only the super-rich people can afford the real ones,' she added. 'They're not for people like us.' Communist-run Vietnam is a manufacturing powerhouse that produces clothing and footwear for international brands, with the United States its number-one export market in the first five months of 2025. But it also has a thriving market for counterfeit goods. In a report published by the US Trade Representative in January, Saigon Square shopping mall was flagged as a major market for the sale of fake luxury items including handbags, wallets, jewelry and watches. The report noted government efforts to stamp out the trade, but said 'low penalties have had little deterrent effect' and 'counterfeit products remain rampant'. Shop owner Hoa, a pseudonym to protect her identity, said almost all of the fake Nike, Lacoste and North Face products she sells in her shop in Hanoi's old quarter are from China - but tagged with a 'Made in Vietnam' label to make them seem authentic. She insists that all her customers know what they're getting. 'My clients are those who cannot afford authentic products,' Hoa said. 'I've never cheated anyone.' Hanoi and Washington are in the thick of trade talks, with Vietnam doing everything it can to avoid the crushing 46 percent tariff that could come into force in early July. Vietnam's trade ministry ordered authorities in April to tighten control over the origin of goods after the Trump administration accused the country of facilitating Chinese exports to the United States and allowing Beijing to get around tariffs. The public security ministry also said there would be a three-month-long crackdown - until mid-August - on counterfeit goods. Nguyen Thanh Nam, deputy head of the agency for domestic market surveillance and development, said last week that in the first five months of the year, more than 7,000 cases of counterfeit products worth more than $8 million had been discovered. He added that 1,000 fake Rolex watches had been seized from Saigon Square shopping mall. Mounds of vitamins, cosmetics and sweets - seemingly also counterfeits - have appeared at waste grounds outside cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, while fake electronics including Marshall speakers and smartwatches have been confiscated.
Sky News AU
11 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
One in eight Australians getting swindled by Chinese manufacturers claiming to sell luxury goods on social media
As many as one in eight Australians have bought counterfeit designer goods from China, new research from Finder has revealed. The data comes as a social media trend has surged on TikTok, where Chinese manufacturers have been using the platform to advertise their products to Aussie consumers. The manufacturers claim to sell items belonging to luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Lululemon direct from the factory at much lower price than retail. In Finder's survey of 1005 respondents, 12 per cent admitted to buying counterfeit goods from manufacturers in China such as DHgate and Alibaba - making it an estimated 2.6 million Aussies purchasing these items which range from activewear to luxury handbags among other products. The majority (73 per cent) said they had not and were not considering it, while the other 16 per cent said they had not, but were considering purchasing the knock-off items. Research also found women (15 per cent) were almost twice as likely to have purchased counterfeit designer goods directly from China than men (eight per cent). Chinese manufacturers' move to market cheaper versions of designer goods has come off the back of United States President Donald Trump's decision to impose sweeping taxes on foreign products. Personal finance expert at Finder, Sarah Megginson, said social media users were attracted to the bargain offers which had gone viral. 'Chinese manufacturers claim to be giving consumers the inside scoop on where luxury brands are really made,' she said. 'These Chinese e-commerce sites are trying to convince consumers to buy direct at lower prices." Ms Megginson warned if an offer looks "too good to be true" that "it usually is". 'What might seem like a savvy shopping hack could end up costing consumers more if the goods don't turn up," she said. 'The rise of counterfeit culture on social media is putting Aussies at financial risk — with many losing money to parcels that never arrive or dodgy sellers that disappear overnight.'
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Inside dark and twisted life of perverted PhD student jailed for raping 10 women
Chinese PhD student Zhenhao Zou, 28, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years for the rape of 10 women in London and China A Chinese PhD student who drugged and raped 10 women in London and China has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years. Zhenhao Zou, 28, kept a trophy box of women's belongings and filmed nine of the rapes on women as they lost consciousness. Judge Rosina Cottage, sentencing Zou to 22 years and 227 days at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, said the defendant is a "very bright young man" who used a manipulative "charming mask" to hide that he is a "sexual predator". She said that Zou "planned and executed a campaign of rape", treating the women "callously" and as 'sex toys' for his own pleasure, which had 'devastating and long-term effects'. Zou is reported to come from a wealthy and well-connected family. His mother works as a teacher, while his father is employed by a state-owned enterprise. It has been suggested that Zou's parents financed his stay in the UK, though witnesses say he earned some pocket money by trading luxury goods. READ MORE: Chinese PhD student's sick trophies after raping 10 women - including polar bear sock and hair His family owns multiple properties, including a detached house in Dongguan, a city in Guangdong province. Zou, who used the name 'Pakho' on social media, stayed there during extended visits to China. When police raided his London residence in January of last year, his affluent lifestyle was immediately evident. Officers discovered a green Rolex Submariner and other high-end watches, along with at least 70 bottles of alcohol concealed behind a curtain in the living room. Zou lived in an apartment building managed by the company Uncle, promoted as "a work of art" and London's tallest residential tower. Residents have access to a rooftop terrace that the company claims would "make the Shard jealous". Detective Chief Inspector Richard Mackenzie, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, described the scene, saying: "We found expensive jewellery and multiple shopping bags from luxury brands. Inside his wardrobe were designer clothes from Louis Vuitton, Moncler, and Burberry — many still with tags. For a student, this was unusual." Beyond the luxury items, the police uncovered more disturbing evidence. In his wardrobe, a box contained personal items such as a key, earrings, a black dress, and hairbands — described by police as a "trophy box" of belongings taken from his victims of sexual assault. Investigators also found components of a rape kit: a graduated dropper pipette and a hidden camera used to record Zou engaging in sexual acts with as many as five women per month. Zou told the jury that he habitually recorded consensual sexual encounters and denied any non-consensual activity. Numerous condoms were found hidden in bedside drawers, alongside a Louis Vuitton box containing Viagra pills in a designer pouch. Police also seized bags of white powders and two 500ml brown bottles labelled "1,4-Butanediol" — a colourless liquid precursor to GHB, a drug known for its sedative effects on the nervous system. Even small amounts of GHB can be lethal. Classified as a Class B drug, GHB is commonly referred to as "liquid ecstasy" and is known to induce euphoria and relaxation. Among the seized drugs were dozens of Xanax tablets in blister packs. Zou explained he had suffered from insomnia since attending boarding school in China and obtained the prescription tranquillizer, typically used for anxiety disorders, from a drug dealer he met at a party. "I took it when I couldn't sleep or was anxious," he said, denying giving the drug to anyone else. Zou said he first tried GHB, which he called "e-liquid," after moving to London in 2019. Prior to that, he had completed a two-year mechanical engineering degree at Queen's University Belfast as an exchange student from Guangdong University of Technology, his home institution. Frequenting some of London's largest nightclubs, Zou began using cocaine and ketamine and later experimented with GHB. "I used it at nightclubs to get high," he stated. "It was much cheaper to buy online — the nightclub prices were significantly higher." He purchased the drug used for drug-facilitated sexual assault from TaoBao, a Chinese online shopping platform similar to Amazon which also sells luxury and virtual goods for video games. When police found the unopened bottles of butanediol, Zou panicked and claimed they were face moisturiser. The court heard he had undergone multiple cosmetic procedures in both London and China, including a hair transplant, eyelid surgeries, fat injections under his chin, dental adjustments, and that he wore makeup to improve his appearance. "I didn't tell the police because I didn't want to be labelled a drug user,' Zou said. However, evidence showed Zou had accessed Potato, an encrypted messaging app, to find instructions on drugging and sexually assaulting women. Cached images from his phone included disturbing photos of naked Chinese women wearing face masks, unconscious on a bed. These posts advertised drugs like midazolam and sevoflurane, both used as general anaesthetics. One listing offered a substance described as "obedient liquid," with Mandarin captions promising "guaranteed effects." Zou, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting 10 women on March 5, was sentenced today. He will spend 22 years and 227 days in prison before he could leave on parole, taking the number of days he has already spent in prison into account - meaning the 28-year-old cannot be released from jail before 2048. Judge Rosina Cottage today told him he was a "sexual predator", adding: "These women you treated callously and used them as sex toys for your pleasure." If you have been affected by anything in this story or need support after rape or sexual assault, call the Rape Crisis helpline on 0808 500 2222
