The mastermind of a fake designer clothing empire has been convicted of one of the UK's largest ever carousel tax frauds.
Arif Patel's illicit business was brought to an end when Scottish police officers stopped his criminal gang on the A74 near Ecclefachan in Dumfries and Galloway in August 2020. The 55-year-old, of Preston, tried to steal £97 million through VAT repayment claims on false exports of textiles and mobile phones.
His crew also imported solid gold counterfeit clothes that would have been worth at least £50 million, had they been genuine. The proceeds were used to buy property across Preston and London through offshore bank accounts.
