Braintree shop owner admits selling fake tobacco in newsagents

Candy Land, Braintree
-Credit:google street view


A Braintree shop owner has pled guilty to charges relating to the sale of counterfeit tobacco products following an Essex Trading Standards investigation. Saman Abdulqader and his company, Argon EN Ltd, pled guilty to eight charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for the possession and sale of counterfeit tobacco with a view to supply.

Mr Abdulqader was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 21 2025 to an 18-month community order, during which he would have to complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 12-month curfew between 5pm and 7am. Argon EN Ltd was fined £18,000, reduced to £12,000 for a guilty plea.

The prosecution also received costs and forfeiture of all the seized tobacco products. His Honour Judge Wilkin said: “It was a serious aggravating factor that Mr Abdulqader failed to heed the warning and continued to sell illicit tobacco despite being interviewed by Trading Standards. It was pure greed and disrespect for the law”.

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Essex Trading Standards raided Candy Land of 34 Bank Street, Braintree, CM7 1UG in January 2021 following complaints by members of the public. A detection dog handled by Wagtail UK helped locate a sophisticated and electro-magnetic controlled device which concealed a compartment within the shop counter, where counterfeit items were discovered and seized.

The shop owner continued to sell counterfeit tobacco, confirmed by two test purchases in December 2021 and January 2022 with assistance from officers at Braintree District Council. In total, 5,980 cigarettes and 1.75kg of hand rolling tobacco were either seized or obtained in test purchases.

The majority – 4,960 cigarettes and 550g of hand rolling tobacco – was found to be counterfeit and formed the basis of the guilty plea. Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law.

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“Having removed 46 million illegal cigarettes, 12,600kg of hand rolling tobacco and almost 175kg of shisha products from sale, Operation CeCe – the National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HMRC – continues to successfully disrupt this illicit trade.”

Councillor Mark Durham, Cabinet Member for The Arts, Heritage and Culture at Essex County Council, said: “This result sends a message to illicit tobacco sellers that Trading Standards will work with partners to act on intelligence and prosecute sellers.

“This dangerous trade has clear links to organised crime. It not only blights communities by driving up crime and anti-social behaviour – it also puts people’s health at risk while damaging legitimate businesses.”