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Men sentenced for importing counterfeit Durex condoms

RB UK introduces new bigger pack sizes for Durex

Following an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into the multiple importations of counterfeit condoms, two directors of Trade Express UK Ltd were last month sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work, and have been banned from serving as a director of any company for seven years. The court also made a confiscation order against each defendant in the sum of £14,809.40 and both have to pay costs in the sum of £10,596.51.

Kanisham Kapour aged 46, of Eastcote Lane, Harrow and Ahmeed Singh Manocha aged 49, of Bush Court, Shepherds Bush Green, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess counterfeit Durex condoms. The UK Border Agency seized 25,200 packs of counterfeit Durex condoms in May 2012. They then referred this on to the MHRA where an investigation was launched into Trade Express UK Ltd, who are based in west London. These fake goods were being imported from China where the defendants arranged for them to be shipped to Felixstowe and then delivered to the business addresses of Trade Express UK Ltd.

John Wilkinson, the MHRA’s director of medical devices, said: “It’s vital that people buy condoms from well-known reputable retailers and pharmacies. People should also be aware that if they buy condoms from illicit websites there is no guarantee that the product that arrives will be safe to use or of good quality. Counterfeit condoms look real but they are badly made and anyone using one has a higher risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease or having an unwanted pregnancy. These two men did not care about people’s health and this case highlights that we will not hesitate to take action against people involved in criminal activity such as this.”