Shop owner in court after sniffer dog discovers stash of illegal cigarettes

A shop owner has been fined £1,000 after a sniffer dog discovered a stash of illegal cigarettes and tobacco in a van at the rear of his premises.

In September 2022, Trading Standards carried out a series of tobacco inspections across the Littlehampton and Worthing area.

Officers, with a search dog, inspected Shaswar Ranjbari's premises, Ideal Supermarket in Rowlands Road, Worthing.

They did not find any tobacco inside the premises but, at the rear of the shop, was a van and the search dog indicated tobacco could be inside.

Two men at the shop denied knowing anything about the van and said they did not have its keys.

A locksmith opened the van and in the back were three bags of tobacco, believed to be illicit.

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In total, 382 packets of tobacco and cigarettes were seized. Samples were sent to the brand representatives, who confirmed all the products were either counterfeit, or genuine but manufactured to be sold in other countries, or genuine but non-duty paid.

On Monday, Ranjbari, of Lumley Road, Skegness, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court to offences relating to the possession of counterfeit and foreign-labelled tobacco and the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.

Magistrates decided on a reduced fine based on the 24-year-old’s early guilty plea and took into consideration the size of the seizure and his current earnings. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,957.65 and a victim surcharge of £400.

Peter Aston, West Sussex Trading Standards team manager, said: “Cheap and Illegal tobacco is a serious concern to public health and Trading Standards is working to disrupt the harmful supply into West Sussex communities.

“Working with partner agencies and specialist detection dog teams we will continue to take robust enforcement action against any shop selling illicit tobacco in West Sussex. We are committed to safeguarding the health of our communities and ensuring that those who flout the law face the consequences, whilst supporting honest businesses who do comply with the regulatory framework around tobacco products.”

In 2022 and 2023, Ranjbari applied to Worthing Borough Council for an alcohol licence, but Trading Standards and Sussex Police objected on both occasions. The application in 2022 was withdrawn. In 2023, the application, in the name of Ali’s Supermarket Ltd, was rejected by Worthing Borough Council’s licensing and control sub-committee, who did not believe Ranjbari would be able to uphold the licence objectives.