A Salford barber was caught with over £34,000 worth of illegal cigarettes on his premises after an anonymous tip off from the public.
Trading standards officers found the 81,000 Russian, Polish and other foreign branded cigarettes hidden in the basement at the Darwesh Barber shop, Liverpool Road, Eccles.
Company director Samir Ismael Perot claimed he was holding them for a customer – whose hair he had cut several times – but couldn’t provide any contact details for the mystery man.
Mr Perot, 26, of Summerville Road, Salford, pleaded guilty at Manchester and Salford magistrates court on Monday November 16 to one offence of possessing for sale or supply tobacco products lacking the correct UK health warnings contrary to Section 12 (1) of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, Regulation 14 and Regulation 7 of the Tobacco products (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale) Regulations 2002.
He also admitted the same offence on behalf of his company Darwesh Barber Shop Ltd.
He was fined £1500, ordered to pay £400 costs and £120 victim surcharge and forfeit the cigarettes which had a street value of £34,510. The company was given an absolute discharge.
The court heard that trading standards officers visited the shop immediately after the tip off and asked a shop worker if there were any illicit tobacco products on the premises. He replied no.
Officers began searching and found a large black holdall behind the door leading to the basement containing 330 x 20’s packets of foreign labelled cigarettes that did not carry the correct health markings required by UK law.
Another 3,730 x 20 packets of mixed foreign labelled cigarettes were found hidden inside cardboard boxes and a laundry bag in the basement. The total haul of over 4,000 packets had a street value of £34,510.
Mr Perot was interviewed under caution and claimed the tobacco belonged to a customer but did not know the man’s full name, address or any contact details.
He also admitted working at ZABKA (Darwesh Supermarket) on Liverpool Road, Eccles and being close friends with the former and current directors of the business where 8,240 cigarettes and 41 x 50g pouches of hand rolling tobacco were found hidden behind a sophisticated false wall. The cigarettes seized from both shops were identical.
In that case Samane Babakr Mahmwd, 31, director of Zabka (Darwesh Supermarket) Ltd of Liverpool Road, Eccles, pleaded guilty at Salford and Manchester magistrates court to three offences of possessing illegal cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco. He also admitted three similar offences on behalf of the company.
He was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid community work, to be completed within 12 months and was fined £500 for each offence, a total of £1500, ordered to pay Salford City Council’s costs of £2239, court costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £60. The case was heard on Wednesday September 30.
Speaking after Mr Perot’s case, Councillor Gena Merrett, executive lead member for housing and environment praised the member of the public who gave the tip off.
“It’s hard to believe this quantity of cigarettes was not being kept for sale to the public, particularly as so many were kept in an easy to reach holdall behind the basement door,” she said.
“Cigarettes carry health warnings for a reason and traders who try to get round that by importing cheap foreign cigarettes are putting their own profits before people’s health. That’s not acceptable and we will continue to track them down and put a stop to it.”
