Illegal Tobacco

Illegal tobacco traders prosecuted in Nottinghamshire

Trading standards officers caught the traders with illicit tobacco worth about £20,000.

Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards has successfully prosecuted two traders after the seizure of counterfeit and illicit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, which had an equivalent retail value of about £20,000.

Serwan Ali of 7a Bridge St, Wigan, pleaded guilty at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court to possession and supply of counterfeit and illicit tobacco products at Friends Mini Market, Low Street, Sutton in Ashfield in October 2021.

Serwan was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £600 prosecution costs.

Also at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court, Kargar Mushini of 47 Whitacre Close, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to four offences relating to counterfeit and illicit tobacco found at Delisha of 3 Toothill Lane, Mansfield.

Mushini was sentenced to a 12-month Community Order with 120 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £200 and a £95 victim surcharge.

Councillor Tom Smith, Vice-Chairman of the Communities Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “These products are very dangerous for consumers. They often won’t self-extinguish, which makes them a huge fire risk. We’ve also seen how the trade in illicit tobacco attracts other crime and anti-social behaviour to an area, further damaging our communities.

“We want to send out a message to other unscrupulous traders that we will not tolerate the sale of counterfeit goods in the county. Taking action to stop these criminals and make our communities safer is our priority. We would encourage anyone who has information about the sale of illegal tobacco to report anonymously report concerns to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.