Shop with links to Wolverhampton man had elaborate system of 'indoor drainpipes' to move counterfeit cigarettes
A shop linked to a Wolverhampton man that sold counterfeit cigarettes utilised a hidden chute system that was compared to the tunnels in The Great Escape.
Wisla on Cavendish Street in Keighley town centre had used an elaborate system of “indoor drainpipes” and CCTV to move illegal tobacco from an upper floor flat to a drawer on the shop floor, from which the contraband would “magically” appear when customers asked for cheaper products.
The store was stripped of its licence to sell alcohol at a meeting of Bradford Council’s District Licensing Panel on Thursday.
During the meeting, members heard that the licence holder for the business – the person responsible for making sure alcohol sales are carried out correctly on a day-to-day basis, was Aso Rafiq Mohammed and lived in Wolverhampton, an almost three-hour drive from Keighley.
The review into the store’s licence was held after a raid by West Yorkshire Police and Trading Standards in December that uncovered hundreds of packets of counterfeit cigarettes and illegal vapes.
On December 4 an undercover trading standards officer carried out a test purchase for illegal tobacco. They were asked by a member of staff if they had been in the store before. The officer stated he hadn’t but a friend had pointed the shop out as one to get cheap cigarettes from.
The staff member eventually reached under the counter and pulled out a packet of Richmond cigarettes and asked £4.50 for them. The regular price should be around £17.
On December 9 Trading Standards and police raided the shop.
Officers found single use vapes and illegal oversized vapes on display in a cabinet on the till counter.
After searching the store they found the opening of a chute hidden by some drawers. It had a number of packets of illegal cigarettes that had been lodged inside.
The chute led to a first floor flat that had illicit tobacco stored in the living room and spare room. The other side of the chute opened into the flat, and officers found a makeshift CCTV system, where people living in the flat could view a monitor to see and hear what was happening in the shop.
A sniffer dog was brought into the flat, and found that a window sill had been hollowed out and used to store more illegal cigarettes.
The flat was storing 603 packets of cigarettes and 125 pouches of 50g hand rolling tobacco.
In the shop officers confiscated 165 illegal oversized vapes and 242 illegal single use vapes.
The panel was told that the discovery of the chute was no surprise – in April 2022 the then licence holder Ari Rafiq was stripped of his licence by the Council.
That was also down to the discovery of a hidden chute used to move counterfeit cigarettes. However, on that occasion the chute led to a second floor flat.
The shop has continued to operate, with Aso Rafiq Mohammed as the licence holder, but with Mr Rafiq still running the store.
Mr Mohammed lives in Wolverhampton.
PC Kevin Lord described the chute system to the panel, saying: “It is the identical set up to three years ago.
“We are not dealing with a first instance of criminality – this premises has a history.”
Jason Bethell from Trading Standards said: “The chute was like a drainpipe they have fitted inside the shop.
“Someone sits in the flat above watching the monitor and when someone asks for cheap cigarettes they drop it down the chute where it ends up in a drawer on the shop floor. The shop worker opens the drawer and as if by magic it’s there.
“It means no illegal cigarettes are in the store. It is quite a good set up – it is the third time in recent years we’ve found a chute in this store.”
He suggested it would cost around £5,000 to set up the chute, and added: “it reminds me of the Great Escape, but instead of tunnels this shop has hidden chutes. A lot of thought has gone into it, you have to hand it to them. But, it is still criminality.”
Neither Mr Rafiq nor Mr Mohammed were at the hearing, but they were represented by lawyer Alias Yousaf.
He urged the panel not to revoke the licence, but instead suspend it and allow a new licence holder to be found. He added: “There is nothing I can say today to justify the sale of illicit tobacco.”
Members asked who owned the building, and was told it was a landlord from Keighley.
At the last licence hearing for the store, the landlord had attended and said he was “shocked” to hear about the hidden chute in his building.
PC Lord said: “If he was that shocked why hasn’t the chute been removed? Someone has messed about with his building. If I was a tenant of his I’d be asking ‘why is there a chute in my flat?’
“I’m sure the landlord will be aware of this.”
Members voted to revoke the licence.
