A shopkeeper who sold illegal cigarettes in three counties has been sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in prison and ordered to pay £20,000 in costs.
Officers from Lincolnshire County Council’s Trading Standards raided Ismail Amin’s store at 77 High Street, Boston in February 2023, and uncovered illicit vapes, cigarettes and tobacco worth £3,000.
Some of the dangerous products were even found in an electronic ‘hide’ disguised as a wall.
Mr Amin committed similar offences in stores he owned in Birmingham, Derby and across Derbyshire, in a network of illegal trade.
Andy Wright, Principal Trading Standards Officer, at Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“This prosecution and substantial fine is the latest in a long line of enforcement action and should act as a warning to rogue traders - we won’t stop until the scourge of illicit products is stubbed out for good.
“Shops selling these illegal goods contribute to anti-social behaviour and are often a front for other serious criminality such as illegal working, and this was the case here, as the person found in charge of the shop had no right to work in the UK.
“In most towns across Lincolnshire these shops are found in areas where the public have reported a fear of crime, anti-social behaviour, and where women in particular feel vulnerable. There is a statistical significance in the presence of these shops and such reports from members of the public.
“The products themselves are often dangerous. Fires caused by smoking materials result in more deaths than any other type of fire. What’s more, cigarettes which are illegally manufactured and traded rarely comply with fire safety standards and usually lack the self-extinguishing feature of legal ones, making them even more hazardous.
“We have also found that shops selling illegal cigarettes and vapes are 14 times more likely to sell them to people under 18 than shops selling legal products.”
Officers from Lincolnshire County Council’s Trading Standards raided Ismail Amin’s store in Boston
The latest prosecution comes after figures recently revealed that more than 670,000 counterfeit cigarettes were confiscated, and 68 shops were closed for selling illegal cigarettes across Lincolnshire last year.
Residents can help by reporting instances of illegal tobacco sales or associated criminality. Reporting helps to build a better intelligence picture, to better evidence criminal activity, and to proactively disrupt organised criminals.
Reporting is easy and 100% anonymous. Call Crimestoppers today: 0800 555 111, or give information online: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information