Store owner in Halton, Leeds, sentenced after £160k worth of illicit tobacco and cigarettes discovered

Saman Amin, the owner of Chapel Street Convenience Store in Halton, was handed a 10 month prison sentence that was suspended for 18 months and also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Amin, 43, pleaded guilty to eight counts of possessing goods with a false trademark, one count of supplying a tobacco product in breach of packaging regulations and one count of producing a tobacco product with a unit or container not carrying a health warning.

The sentencing at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, July 14, follows the seizure of 179,020 cigarettes and 99kg of hand rolling tobacco from the shop and storeroom in September 2021.

West Yorkshire Trading Standards (WYTSS) revealed that the seized products were a mix of counterfeit and smuggled items with no duty paid on them.

The total genuine comparative value of the seized tobacco is more than £160,000. Total excise duty payable on the seized tobacco would have been over £90,000.

The premises was already known to WYTSS following a number of complaints about the supply of illicit and duty free tobacco.

Local councillors Debra Coupar, Helen Hayden and Nicole Sharpe welcomed the sentencing, saying they hope it serves “as a warning to others tempted to push these products out onto the streets”.

The councillors said: “There is no place for illicit cigarettes and tobacco products on our streets, it is a trade that makes it easier for children to start smoking and causes nothing but harm to our communities. We would like to thank local residents who complained about the Chapel Street Convenience Store and so prompted the seizure of the products.

“It is important for anyone considering selling these products to remember that the local community do not want them and you will be reported with action taken against you.”

Linda Davis, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Manager said, “Far from being a victimless crime, the illegal trade in tobacco costs government millions each year in lost revenue, makes it easier for children to start smoking, takes advantage of cash-strapped families, and helps fund organised crime including human trafficking.”