Bar fined £6,000 for fake Smirnoff vodka

A bar owner has been slapped with a £6,000 fine after being caught selling counterfeit Smirnoff vodka.

A Northern Ireland bar owner has pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit Smirnoff vodka

The Trading Standards Service (TSS) of the Department for the Economy brought the case to court, during which Patrick Robert Maginn, 55, of Newcastle in Northern Ireland, trading as Quinn’s Bar and Off Sales, pleaded guilty to three charges under Section 92 of Trade Marks Act 1994.

The court also passed a forfeiture order regarding the bottles of vodka seized by Trading Standards.

A tip off that Quinn’s Bar was selling fake Smirnoff vodka sparked an investigation by the TSS and on 18 December 2014, investigators carried out a test purchase of a one litre bottle of Smirnoff Red No 21 from Quinn’s Off Sales. A Diageo representative immediately confirmed the vodka was fake.

Officers confiscated five bottles of the brand that were also fake and filled with the counterfeit liquid.

Following an inspection of the premises and adjoining bar, a total of 24 1.5 litre bottles of Smirnoff Red No 21 was confirmed as counterfeits and a further inspection by the Diageo representative found all but one of the bottles had fake labels.

The vodka was sent for analysis which showed it had an abv of 32.7%, but the minimum abv for vodka is 37.5%.

“This is a very serious offence and the fine imposed by the court reflects its severity,” commented Alison Gilchrist, enforcement officer for the Trading Standards Service, as reported by the Belfast Telegraph.

“Mr Maginn potentially put customers at serious risk to boost his profit margins. He was knowingly selling this product in a very popular high street location in a popular seaside town in Northern Ireland and showed a blatant disregard for his customers.

“Mr Maginn has given little thought to the consequences of his actions. It is lucky that, on this occasion, nothing of a harmful nature was found in the fake vodka being sold at his premises.

“Counterfeiting harms legitimate business and threatens jobs.

“The Trading Standards Service will continue to investigate sellers of counterfeit goods and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action against any trader found to be selling fakes.

“We would remind anyone involved in this type of activity that the courts can impose penalties of up to £5,000 or six months in prison per offence if trademarks or copyrights are infringed.”