£6,000 fines handed out over bogus cigarettes
Hefty fines have been handed to two shop owners from which hundreds of bogus and incorrectly packaged cigarettes were seized.
The illicit goods were found at the Paper Boys shop in New Street, West Bromwich and at UK Mini Market in High Street, Smethwick, during raids last year.
Cigarettes and rolling tobacco pouches were seized, most of which did not have the required health warnings.
Rezgar Ramazan, who owned the Smethwick store, was fined a total of £6,000, including £2,000 court costs after appearing at Sandwell Magistrates' Court.
The 35-year-old admitted 21 charges of selling goods without the required health warning and six charges relating to counterfeit goods.
Across two raids, 649 products were found to be incorrectly packaged and 25 fake products were seized. The brands imitated include Golden Virginia, Amber Leaf, Mayfair, and Regal King Size, the court heard.
Ramazan, of Dollery Drive, Edgbaston told police in interview he was not 'absolutely sure' the sale of the products would constitute an offence. Inderjait Rayat, defending, said Ramazan gave up the business six days after the second raid.
Jasbir Kumar, owner of Paper Boys in West Bromwich, was fined a total of £4,865.28, including court costs of £1,615.28, after pleading guilty to 18 charges of selling goods without the required health warning and seven charges relating to counterfeit goods. These include fake Winston cigarettes and Drum, Amber Leaf and Golden Virginia rolling tobacco. Over three raids, with the help of a sniffer dog, illicit products were found in bag behind the shop counter, in a box on a shelf, behind the crisp display and by a microwave, the court heard.
Kumar, of Denbigh Drive, West Bromwich, initially told trading standards officers the tobacco was for personal usee.
The 46-year-old added he bought all the goods in a single purchase after a man came into his shop and offered them to him.
The court heard the value of the goods seized from his store was £4,200 consisting of 381 packs of cigarettes and 49 pouches of rolling tobacco. Mr Porter, defending, said Kumar initially refused to buy the goods but eventually 'succumbed to the pressure'.
