A shopkeeper caught with counterfeit cigarettes has been landed with a bill for more than £3,000 and a criminal record.
Shaswar Ranjbari, 24, had the illicit stash in a van at the back of his shop, Ideal Supermarket, in Rowlands Road, Worthing.
At Brighton Magistrates’Court, he pleaded guilty to having counterfeit and foreign-labelled tobacco and the fraudulent evasion of excise duty.
On Monday (17 June) he was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,957.65 and a victim surcharge of £400, making £3,357.65 in total.
The case came to court after West Sussex County Council trading standards officers and Revenue and Customs officials carried out an inspection at Ranjbari’s shop in September 2022.
It was one of a series of inspections across the Worthing and Littlehampton area – part of Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards and HMRC to tackle the illegal tobacco trade.
West Sussex trading standards said: “Officers, with a search dog, inspected Mr 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. In total, 382 packets of tobacco and cigarettes were seized.
“Samples were sent to the brand representatives who confirmed that all the products were either counterfeit or genuine but manufactured to be sold in other countries or genuine but non-duty paid.”
West Sussex trading standards team manager Peter Aston 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 while supporting honest businesses who do comply with the regulatory framework around tobacco products.”
Ranjbari, of Lumley Road, Skegness, Lincolnshire, applied to Worthing Borough Council for a drinks licence in 2022 and again last year.
Trading standards and Sussex Police objected on both occasions. The application in 2022 was withdrawn.
Last year, the application, in the name of Ali’s Supermarket Ltd, was rejected by Worthing Borough Council’s Licensing and Control Sub-Committee.
The committee did not believe that Ranjbari would be able to uphold the licence objectives.
The county council said: “West Sussex residents are reminded to report any illegal or undesirable trading activity to our trading standards team online or by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on Freephone 0808 223 1133.
“You can also report an incident or issue to trading standards online.”
