MORAY TRADING STANDARDS officers scored another success on behalf of consumers when an East Kilbride man was fined £1350 at Elgin Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
Derek Walker had previously entered a guilty plea for breaching the Trade Marks Act after being snared as part of the Moray Council Trading Standards investigation that led to local woman Tammie Morrison being fined £450 in the same court last month.
Walker’s downfall came when he turned up to deliver counterfeit clothing to Morrison’s home in Keith – just as police and trading standards officers were carrying out a raid on the property.
Goods he was delivering with an estimated street value of £19,000 were seized along with £1000 in cash.
Trading Standards had been alerted to the operation when Morrison was offering cut-price branded goods through Facebook.
Moray Trading Standards manager Peter Adamson said: “We welcome the outcome of this investigation which sends a clear message that illicit sales through social media and other online channels are not acceptable.
“Counterfeit goods are sub-standard and not the bargain they may seem. Counterfeit electrical products do not comply with safety standards. The trade in counterfeit goods always involves organised crime in manufacture and distribution and undermine legitimate traders.”
Chairman of the planning and regulatory services committee, Councillor Chris Tuke, had his own words of congratulation for Moray’s trading standards team: “Our trading standards officers are to be congratulated on being vigilant in the fight against unscrupulous traders who dupe the public into buying inferior goods which they purport to be the real thing.
“I hope this case serves as a warning that there is a high probability that anyone dealing in counterfeit goods in Moray will be caught and dealt with by the courts.”
Anyone with concerns about counterfeit goods can contact the Citizens’ Advice consumer line on 03454 04 05 06 or report them anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.