Tobacconist fined £2,000 for illicit sales

A TOWN centre tobacconist has been fined more than £2,000 for selling illegal cigarettes and tobacco, following a successful prosecution brought by Warrington Borough Council.
Abbas Hamad Mashkoye, aged 24, from Rochdale, appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court and was found guilty in his absence of seven charges under the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
The court was told that after a test purchase at the shop where Mashkoye was employed, ‘Spizarnia’, on Legh Street, Warrington’s Trading Standards team, accompanied by the police, visited the shop.
At the premises, 280 packets of illegal cigarettes and six pouches of illegal tobacco were found in the boot of Mashkoye’s car, which was parked nearby.
As a result, he was fined a total of £2,312.
After the hearing, Pete Astley, assistant director for regulation and public protection, said: “It’s so important that residents report any suspicions about the sale of illicit goods so we can stamp out this trade.
“We were able to catch and prosecute this seller through excellent partnership working with Cheshire Police and we will continue to identify more and more of these individuals.
“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 eradicate this trade and so that those selling illegal tobacco and cigarettes will never feel safe from detection.”
Cllr Judith Guthrie, the council’s lead member for environment and public protection, said: “Illicit tobacco is a serious issue as it undermines our work to reduce smoking rates in the town and can be a gateway into smoking for very young people. Sellers avoid paying taxes and it is often linked to organised crime.
“Whilst all tobacco is harmful, illicit cigarettes pose a real danger to health. They also encourage crime in our communities. Illegal tobacco is often sold at pocket money prices, making it easier for children to start smoking and this seriously impacts on our efforts to improve the health of our residents.
“I am confident we will continue to work with our partners to crackdown on these sellers and bring them to justice.”