Couple Dumped Fake Branded Goods Down Rubbish Chute When Police Came Knocking

You’ve probably seen movie scenes where drug dealers flush all their drugs down the toilet the moment they suspect their house is going to be raided.

The drugs all magically disappear, and the dealers appear safe.

But what if the illegal goods you were dealing happened to be large handbags rather than tiny packets of drugs?

No matter how powerful your toilet is, flushing a handbag down is going to be a tough task.

So, what do you do when the police come knocking?

Throw them all down the rubbish chute, of course.

Couple Facing Jail Time for Selling Fake Branded Goods & Dumping Them During Raid

A couple is facing imprisonment for selling fake branded goods on Qoo10 and for dumping their goods down the rubbish chute just before a police raid.

29-year-old Li Shun, a China national and Singapore permanent resident, pleaded guilty to:

• a charge of abetting his wife’s obstruction of justice by asking her to dump the goods
• importation and possession of fake branded goods for sale under the Trade Marks Act

Another six charges for each of them will be taken into consideration for sentencing, reported CNA. 

His wife, Lim Seow Seow, 35, admitted to:

• obstructing the course of justice by disposing the evidence
• importing fake branded goods for trade
• possessing such goods for trade

In 2013, Li wanted to set up an online business in Singapore to earn some extra money, but wasn’t allowed to do so as a work permit holder.

Then, his wife obtained a permanent residency, and he used her details to start the business.

Started Importing & Selling Fake Goods

While the pair ran a legitimate business at first, Li started importing counterfeit goods in 2015 from Guangzhou, China, such as fake Longchamp and Kipling bags.

These bags were slightly cheaper than their originals.

Li found the counterfeit business to be rather profitable, so he imported and sold other types of fake bags.

He even expanded his counterfeit business in 2019, by selling fake skincare products.

His wife, Li, helped to order the products, track shipments, and make payments using her bank account.

Everything seemed to be going well until Singapore Customs informed Li on 1 Oct 2019 that a shipment was being withheld.

After that incident, Li rented storage space to stow some counterfeit goods to evade the authorities.

Dumped 20 Counterfeit Bags During Police Raid

In Oct last year, the police received wind of the couple’s operation. Singapore Customs informed the police about a case of suspected counterfeit goods from China that was imported.

They provided police with the suspected importer’s address.

On 16 Oct, at 11.30am, the police came knocking on the couple’s door.

As she didn’t recognise who was at the door, she called her husband, who was out at the time.

At this point, the couple had two options:

1. Give up and surrender to the police
2. Literally anything but dispose of the evidence

So, naturally, they disposed of the evidence.

Suspecting that the individuals were Singapore Customs officers, Li instructed his wife not to open the door and to dump their counterfeit goods down the rubbish chute instead.

Lim acceded, and only opened the door to police when her husband returned home.

The police later found 20 counterfeit Longchamp, Adidas or Fila bags in their rubbish chute, as well as four bottles of counterfeit Lancome and Estee Lauder skincare products.

They were all sealed in mailbags with buyers’ addresses, which is pretty hard to explain if you’re innocent.

Officers also found 42 fake branded goods in a warehouse at the airport, more than 50 bags in their car, and nearly 30 bags in a storage facility.

The couple now faces jail time not just for possessing and importing fake branded goods, but also for obstructing the course of justice.

The first charge carries a penalty of up to five years in jail, a fine of $100,000, or both.

For the second, offenders can be imprisoned for up to seven years, fined, or both.

The couple will return to court on 30 Dec for sentencing.

Featured Image: Terence Toh Chin Eng / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)