A Briton was among five men and a woman found guilty of making fake branded cosmetics in China and selling them abroad.
Jagtiani Suraj Kishoo, 53, was sentenced by the Shanghai No 1 Intermediate People's Court to four years in prison and fined 200,000 yuan (US$24,600) for exporting fake products worth 1.43 million yuan (US$176,300) to the United States, the United Kingdom, Lebanon and the Netherlands.
He will be expelled from the country after serving his term in Shanghai.
His senior partner in crime, Li Xuyao, who manufactured fake cosmetics worth more than 2 million yuan (US$246,000), was given a five-year jail term and fined 200,000 yuan.
Yao Fei, Li Xuyao's wife, who helped him with the business, was sentenced to three years and fined 150,000 yuan (US$18,500). Because she is breast-feeding a child, her prison term was suspended.
Sun Zhihui, Qian Yiping and Xia Xuming, who purchased materials and managed the business for Li, were sentenced to terms ranging from 18 months to two years and fined between 50,000 yuan (US$6,165) and 100,000 yuan (US$12,330). All have returned their ill-gotten money and have two weeks to appeal.
An investigation was launched about a year ago when Johnson & Johnson China reported that someone was making its products without authorization.
In September 2004, Shanghai Customs discovered suspicious-looking brand-name cosmetics and sanitary napkins in a cargo container which should have had dish-washing liquid. It later turned out to be the 10th batch of fake products Jagtiani attempted to export. The first nine went through.
In Li's warehouse, fake products worth nearly 600,000 yuan (US$74,000) were found; and it emerged that he had making fake products since late 2003.
Li and his wife met Jagtiani at a commodities fair in 2004; and they soon started collaborating on making fakes and exporting them.
Li set up two workshops near Shanghai Pudong International Airport and hired workers to produce Johnson & Johnson lotions and napkins as well as Head and Shoulders shampoo, Nivea face cream and Fa deodorant spray.
(China Daily November 8, 2005)
