Slough Shop Boss Hit with Hefty Fine Over Illegal Tobacco Haul
Illegal Tobacco Haul Discovered in Slough
A business owner in Slough has been slapped with a £5,110 bill after illegally imported tobacco was found in his shop. Trading standards officers carried out a test purchase in February 2019 at Brothers Pan Corner Limited, located on Stoke Poges Lane. They received tobacco products illegally packaged and labelled.
Sniffer Dogs Uncover Massive Stash
Just a week later, trading standards teamed up with Thames Valley Police sniffer dogs for a raid. Their search uncovered a whopping 1,200 cigarette packs, 1,000 pouches of smokeless tobacco, and 60 hand rolling tobacco pouches. Much of the haul featured foreign labels, missing health warnings, and branded packaging banned by UK law.
Director Fined Over Multiple Charges
Mohammed Imran Naseer, the company director at the time, faced Reading Magistrates’ Court on 9 April. Naseer admitted 11 counts of possessing illegal tobacco from early and mid-February 2019. He was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, £4,000 costs, plus a £110 victim surcharge.
Trading Standards Sound Warning
Dean Cooke, senior trading standards officer, said: “This is a welcome result for the trading standards team. Possessing illegal tobacco may appear to be a victimless crime. However, it is the genuine law abiding traders of Slough that suffer, as they are continually being undercut by unscrupulous competitors.”
He added: “We hope this will serve as a very real warning to others. We have zero tolerance for illegal goods in the borough. Financial penalties can be severe and prosecutions will continue. We will keep monitoring and acting on intelligence regarding illegal tobacco sales.”
The court case was delayed due to the pandemic but shows Slough’s tough stance on cracking down illegal tobacco trade.
