Mohammed Charkawi, Amhed Sadik plead guilty after fake Prada, Hermes, Dior goods seized at South Granville, Chester Hill, Merrylands
Paris, Rome ... South Granville? Two western Sydney mates have admitted participating in a counterfeit goods scam after being busted with fake luxury goods, including some purporting to be French and Italian designer labels.
Parramatta
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Two mates have admitted participating in a counterfeit designer goods scam after being busted with $630,000 worth of fake luxury brands – including French and Italian-origin labels Dior, Cartier and Fendi – which they were selling online and from a western Sydney “showroom”.
Mohammed Charkawi and Amhed Sadik, both 23, have admitted recklessly dealing with the proceeds of general crime after Cumberland police officers, under Strike Force Pinanpinga, seized hundreds of fake bags, clothes and jewellery.
Agreed facts recently tendered to Parramatta Local Court in Charkawi’s case show the pair accepted more than $220,000 worth of deposits into business accounts between October 2022 and January 2023.
A total of $16,881 was also deposited into Charkawi’s personal account, while Charkawi recklessly dealt with $248,491 which was deemed to be the proceeds of crime.
Charkawi created an Instagram account with 5000 followers, who read advertisements for designer goods with false trademarks that were then sold online and from a warehouse unit, which Sadik dubbed a “showroom”, on Straits Ave in South Granville.
The showroom was under police surveillance from early last year until April 27, when cops discovered a haul including Valentino boots, Fendi items, four Cartier bangles, Chanel boxes with jewellery, two Dior boxes with jewellery, Louis Vuitton shoes, Chanel handbags, and Dior, Gucci and Hermes shoes.
Fake Prada, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Balmain items were also seized.
During a simultaneous raid at Charkawi’s Rupert St house in Merrylands, cops seized $52,250 in cash, more counterfeit designer goods, several mobile phones and a CCTV system.
Charkawi and Sadik each pleaded guilty to selling/possessing/importing goods with false trademarks and recklessly dealing with $100,000 or more that was the proceeds of general crime.
Sadik, of Chester Hill, also pleaded guilty to possessing an unauthorised firearm, not having approved storage as the holder of a Category A or B firearms licence, and possessing goods suspected of being stolen.
The facts reveal he was busted with a “fully functional gel blaster rifle similar in appearance to a military-style rifle” on April 27 last year.
Charkawi’s offending didn’t stop at counterfeit goods either. He pleaded guilty to supplying prohibited drugs greater than a large commercial quantity and supplying a supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug.
The court heard he supplied 283.93g of cannabis oil, 4.1kg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and used a neighbour’s unoccupied garage at Bligh St, in Guildford, to stash the illicit substances.
The woman was living with relatives and was shocked to find the drugs inside her garage when she returned home.
Police were alerted and seized the cannabis oil inside 200 cannabis liquid cartridges for vaping, about 65 cannabis vapes and four glass bottles filled with the oil.
Some of the vapes and cartridges were packaged into 66 Australian Post satchels addressed to customers.
Charkawi sold 40 parcels of cannabis lollies and posted them after advertising on Telegram Messenger.
Court papers reveal that on April 3, 2022, Charkawi, under the nickname Moey C, celebrated his birthday a day later by offering discounted drugs.
“It’s my birthday in five hours, so I’m gonna do some discounts and specials for y’all from by behalf of turning 21,” he wrote.
The offender then blamed scammers when customers failed to receive the drugs in the post.
Charkawi and Sadik’s bail has been continued ahead of court dates this month.
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