Man must pay £1,300 after police seize 40,000 fake cigarettes

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A WARRINGTON man has been ordered to pay £1,300 in fines and costs after police raided a property in the town and seized 40,000 counterfeit cigarettes.
He also forfeited £1,000 cash found at the property believed to be linked to the sale of the cigarettes.
Sardar Mohmood, aged 36, of St Peters Way, Warrington, pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrates’ Court to possessing the cigarettes with a view to supplying them.
He was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £200 costs and a £100 victim surcharge.
The court was told the cigarettes were found when police went to the address in St Peters Way on an unrelated matter.
They were passed over to Trading Standards officers and subsequently identified as “illegal whites.”
After the hearing, Peter Astley (pictured) assistant director for regulation and public protection with Warrington Borough Council, said: “This is a great example of where the vigilance of our colleagues in Cheshire Police has enabled s to take action. Through excellent partnership working we are identifying more and more of these individuals so no one selling illicit tobacco can ever feel safe from detection.
“All tobacco is harmful, but illicit cigarettes seriously undermine our drive to reduce smoking, fuel organised criminality and are often a gateway for our young people to be addicted to the habit which prematurely kills over half its users.
“We will do whatever we can to stamp out this crime, not only by taking individuals found with illicit tobacco to court, but also seeking to take away their assets. This clearly sends out a message that if you continue to trade in illicit tobacco, you will be hit very hard indeed.”
Inspector Richard Spedding, Cheshire Police, said: “We are delighted that our partners in Trading Standards at Warrington Borough Council have obtained such a positive result that sends out a clear message to people engaged in the sale of illegal cigarettes.
“This is further evidence of the effective partnership working arrangements that we have in place that allow us to tackle all aspects of criminality and wrongdoing.”
Anyone who suspects someone is selling counterfeit goods, or who may have accidentally purchased counterfeit goods, should contact Citizen’s Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 040506 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


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Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.

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