A business based in Rayners Lane has been caught with a haul of illegal cigarettes. They have now been ordered to pay fines and costs of £2,796.
The cigarettes did not contain one of the legally required health warnings and still featured in the branded packaging which is no longer permitted. since May 2017. The case was heard at Willesden Magistrates Court on 6 August. Fines totalling £1,260 were brought against the company and its director, who also had to pay costs of £1,536 Harrow Council reports.
A sniffer dog uncovered the hidden stash of illegal cigarettes at the back of the Rayners Lane premises. A joint operation by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards and HMRC seized the suspect cigarettes following a tip off that Cargo Imperial Food Ltd (who traded as Diana) were selling them. Under interview, the sole company director had admitted that he had purchased the cigarettes from an ‘unknown man’ who visited the shop and that he had paid cash for them.
Alison Chipperton, assistant director, HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service, said: “HMRC works closely with other enforcement agencies to crack down on illicit tobacco in the UK. Partnership working with Trading Standards is vital in order to share intelligence and collaborate on joint exercises such as this and target those areas with the highest levels of illicit tobacco activity.”
If you know of a business selling illegal tobacco, you can report it to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06. (Source: Harrow Council)(Image Credit: Google)
