A shopkeeper has been sentenced for selling illegal cigarettes.
Officers from Lincolnshire Trading Standards were sold counterfeit illegal cigarettes on two occasions at Ali Khader’s store on Sheep Market in Spalding.
At Lincoln Magistrates Court on 9 August 2024, Khader was sentenced to 13 months custody, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to offences relating to proceeds of crime, tobacco regulation offences, and trademark offences.
He was also given 25 hours of rehabilitation activity and a curfew between 8pm and 6am daily for four months.
Lincolnshire Trading Standards carried out the first test purchase at the premises in February 2023.
After being sold counterfeit illegal cigarettes, officers returned to raid the store and seize the illegal products a few days later.
A second test purchase in May and further raid in June 2023 lead to the service applying for a closure order on the store in June 2023, shuttering the premises for three months.
In court, the judge noted that Mr Khader was knowingly selling the goods that presented an increased risk of fire and risk to life.
Senior Lincolnshire Trading Standards Officer Kimberley Marshall emphasised their commitment to tackling the sale and supply of illicit tobacco: “Some people may not fully realise the seriousness of this crime, and that these products are often unsafe knockoffs, made in unhygienic conditions, and can pose a real fire safety risk. The illicit tobacco trade can also fund other organised crime.
“People in Lincolnshire have died in house fires caused by these types of cigarettes, and shops selling threaten the livelihoods of legitimate law-abiding businesses.
“These are not shops that sell a few cigarettes or vapes ‘on the side’. Instead, they exist solely to supply illegal goods. The shops are operated by criminals and out-of-county organised crime groups.
“We will continue to work with Lincolnshire Police and other partner agencies to combat this illegal trade of counterfeit, unsafe products.”
In court, the judge noted that Mr Khader was knowingly selling the goods that presented an increased risk of fire and risk to life.
1 Readers' comment