A Swansea retailer has been jailed for 38 months following the seizure of more than 140,000 illicit cigarettes and almost 20kg of rolling tobacco from his store.
The store, Stokrotka Supermarket in Mansel Street, was raided several times in 2022 by trading standards officers, police and sniffer dogs who found the illicit tobacco products, that were worth £176,000.
According to Swansea Council, arrests were made after specialist search dogs who can accompany officers into local shops and sniff out tobacco hidden there, helped uncover the crimes.
At Merthyr Crown Court, Jamal Karimi pleaded guilty to a number of charges including fraud and offences under the trade marks act and was sentenced to 38 months’ jail and ordered to pay costs of £2,750.
His associate Simona Adamova had pleaded guilty to a number of trade mark and consumer protection offences and was remanded on bail for sentencing however she then fled to the Czech Republic but returned and was remanded in custody ahead of the sentencing hearing. At Merthyr Crown Court she also pleaded guilty to a failure to surrender to bail and was sentenced to a total of two years’ jail suspended for two years, forfeiture of £2,750 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £156.
Rhys Harries, trading standards team leader in Swansea Council, said: “Last year we confiscated large quantities of counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes from a number of local shops in Swansea, including tens of thousands of cigarettes and 220kg of rolling tobacco.
“In this particular case the dogs were able to find goods hidden in places as diverse as ceiling cavities and in the false bottoms of shop displays. But our message to people who willingly put others’ health at risk is that this case demonstrates there is no hiding place for you.
David Hopkins, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Performance, said: “Our message is to call on the public to play their part by contacting our trading standards team if they suspect illegal tobacco is being sold.
“While we accept that some of our residents are smokers we want to ensure they are as safe as possible and not purchasing counterfeit tobacco or cigarettes.”
No comments yet