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Crime Solicitors

Darlington Trading Standards seize 20,000 illegal cigarettes and tobacco products (25 February 2016)

Date: 25/02/2016
Duncan Lewis, Crime Solicitors, Darlington Trading Standards seize 20,000 illegal cigarettes and tobacco products

Darlington Borough Council has prosecuted a local retailer, after Trading Standards working with the police and sniffer dogs uncovered more than 20,000 illicit tobacco and tobacco products in his shop on two occasions.

Salar Mahof runs Darlington Supermarket – a total of 17,265 individual cigarettes and 56 packs of hand rolling tobacco were found at the supermarket in July 2015, with a total of 3,455 individual cigarettes and 67 packs of hand rolling tobacco discovered on the premises in August 2015.

The illicit tobacco products were seized in a joint operation with Darlington Council’s Trading Standards Team and Darlington Police, assisted by tobacco dogs from B.W.Y Canine, after intelligence was received from members of the public regarding the sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco by the retailer.

The dogs led Trading Standards staff straight to the concealed storage locations in hollowed out doors and behind hidden panels at the shop.

Mahof was found guilty of Trade Mark and Consumer Health offences and was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work over an 18-month Community Order.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,356 to Darlington Borough Council – and an £80 victim surcharge to the court.

The seized tobacco products have been forfeited.

After sentencing, a spokesperson for Darlington Borough Council said:

“Trading Standards carried out the raids after receiving intelligence about the sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco from these premises.

“While all tobacco products are harmful to health, with illicit and counterfeit tobacco products you simply do not know what you are getting.

“These raids will serve as a warning to other people not to sell counterfeit and illicit tobacco – you will be caught and stopped.”

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