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Mr Arshad Mahmood (48) of 42 Sevenoaks Road, Brockley, London SE4 1RE was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay over £4,500 in costs at Tower Bridge Magistrates Court on 23 July 2008 for the illegal sale and supply of unlicensed medicines and banned cosmetics. His company, of which he was director, called Sabina Hair & Cosmetics (Peckham) Ltd was also fined £4,000 and over £4,500 in costs. This follows a joint investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Southwark Trading Standards.

The MHRA became involved after being contacted by Southwark Trading Standards to assist in a joint inspection at the shop Sabina Hair & Cosmetics (Peckham) Ltd situated at 68-70 Rye Lane, Peckham, London, SE15 4NB. Southwark Trading Standards had previously conducted two test purchases of tubes of Movate Cream back in May 2007. This cream contained the cortico-steroid Clobetasol Propionate. The inspection of the shop revealed a significant amount of unlicensed steroid creams and banned cosmetics masked as skin lightening creams which were seized and removed. Analysis of the products revealed that they contained cortico-steroids and hydroquinone (a banned cosmetic).

Mick Deats, Enforcement Group Manager at the MHRA said, “Mr Mahmood has put the public at risk by selling potent medicines that are not licensed and therefore have no guarantee of safety. There are dangers associated with the long-term use of steroid creams, such as thinning the skin. This case serves as a reminder that we will continue to clamp down on those who put public health at risk.”

The Sabina chain has a history of selling harmful unlicensed products to its predominantly African customers. In 2007, Wasim Rabbani, company director of Sabina Hair and Cosmetics Limited in Mitcham Road, Tooting, London was fined £24,400 for the illegal sale of creams containing corticosteroids and hydroquinone on 17 May 2007 at South Western Magistrates Court. In total, Rabbani was found guilty of seven offences; five under section 52 of the Medicines Act 1968, one offence under the Cosmetics Safety Regulation and one under the Consumer Protection Act.

When questioned Rabbani said "Everybody was selling [skin poisons to African women] around here so we thought it was OK and sold them as well"