Fake jewellery seller gets 30 months in prison

A UK court has sentenced a man to 30 months in prison for possession of counterfeit jewellery worth £500,000 ($790,000).

Police arrested the man, Jinbao Zhang, while he was driving near Northampton, UK in August. The vehicle contained counterfeit jewellery, purses and bags that infringed on brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Pandora. If genuine, the items would have sold for £500,000.

A court sentenced the man to 30 months in jail. “Not only does the sale of counterfeit goods undermine the business of legitimate retailers, it also pushes up the price of genuine products,” a spokesperson from Northamptonshire County Council trading standards said.

The ruling comes weeks after a woman from Scarborough, UK was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work for selling fake jewellery and perfumes on Facebook. Police found more than 200 items of fake clothing, jewellery, footwear, purses and handbags in a search of the woman’s flat.