A shopkeeper must do unpaid work after a large quantity of counterfeit tobacco was found during a raid on his business.
Essex Police and Trading Standards officers raided the Geylanii shop in St Botolph’s Street, Colchester, in October and December 2014.
Sniffer dogs found tobacco and cigarettes hidden in specially-designed units behind the shop counter, underneath tiles, and in a disconnected washing machine.
Brands seized included L&M Blue and Marlboro Gold cigarettes and Golden Virginia tobacco which did not have the legally-required health warnings on the packets, while some of the Golden Virginia and Mayfair cigarettes were counterfeit versions.
Some of the goods had not had tobacco duty paid on them.
The shop owner Shahram Ahmadi, 30, of Coopers Lane, Clacton, admitted 13 charges of breaching tobacco retail safety regulations and three trademark offences during an appearance at Colchester Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Magistrates ordered him to cary rout 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £2,600 costs and a £60 surcharge.
They also ordered the seized tobacco be destroyed,
Roger Walters, Essex county councillor for Trading Standards, said: “This is a good result and shows we will not tolerate any illegal sales in Essex.
“Safety regulations are there to protect the public and should not be flouted.
“We will continue to clamp down on counterfeit goods of any kind.”
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