A retailer repeatedly caught selling non UK duty-paid tobacco and alcohol products has been jailed for two years and four months.
Despite two formal warnings for selling illegal tobacco and alcohol, HMRC officers’ third visit to Pius Sedani’s Quality Foods in Southall uncovered a further 447 kilos of non-duty paid chewing tobacco, and 2,520 cigarettes of various brands.
Their previous two visits had already uncovered 270 kilos of non-duty paid tobacco, 2,500 kilos of chewing tobacco, five kilos of shisha tobacco and almost 18 litres of spirits.
Pius admitted evading £580,000 in duty and VAT at the Central Criminal Court. He was ordered to pay back £278,196 by August 5 2013, or face a further three years in jail.
HMRC assistant director John Pointing said: “Sedani was given two warnings, but persisted in selling non-duty paid goods. We cannot allow people to consider themselves above the law, and we will not hesitate to take formal action against those who do so.”
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