Fake cigarette shopkeeper 'put profit above public safety'

Councillor Bobbie Dove said Aryan Anwar Abdullah “put profit above the safety of the public and our young people” after he taken to court by the local authority’s trading standards team.

As reported, Abdullah, now of Wembley Street, Swindon, sold the illegal goods while he was the owner of Poole Convenience in High Street.

Products seized by council officers at the premises in December 2018 did not comply with European Safety Standards and were being passed off as genuine.

• Read more: Ex-shopkeeper avoids jail over Poole fake cigarettes sting

Abdullah, aged 40, received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years after he pleaded guilty to four charges of possessing goods with a false trade mark for sale and two counts of being a distributor possessing a dangerous product for supply.

Following the sentencing, Cllr Bobbie Dove, portfolio holder for community safety, said: “The sale of illicit tobacco is not a victimless crime. This seller undermined legitimate traders making an honest living and the effectiveness of the incredible programmes in place to help reduce smoking.

“This business owner was well aware of the law, but put profit above the safety of the public and our young people; not only in selling harmful products to those under age, but also selling items that posed a fire hazard because they would not extinguish.

“The work of our Trading Standards Officers who visited the premises proactively with police on a number of occasions has had a significant effect.

"Items were seized and samples of the illicit cigarettes and tobacco were examined and found to either be foreign labelled, not carry the correct warnings on them or be counterfeit.

“The subsequent prosecution of this seller demonstrates a very clear message to anyone who thinks they can benefit from the sale of illicit tobacco; the council will not tolerate this in the BCP Council area.

“I would like to congratulate the team that carried out these investigations and urge anyone who is offered foreign-labelled cigarettes or tobacco for sale in suspicious circumstances, or to under 18’s, to report it to us by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.”

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