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A shopkeeper from Cleethorpes pleaded guilty to three charges relating to counterfeit tobacco sales
A 24-year-old shopkeeper from Cleethorpes has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to counterfeit tobacco sales after Trading Standards visited his premises.
Saman Hamzay, 24, of Chester Place, Cleethorpes, runs Ferdawes International Foods on Freeman Street.
On 18th February 2020 Trading Standards found 78,360 counterfeit Richmond cigarettes, 1,540 fake Marlboro cigarettes and 20 pouches of counterfeit Amber Leaf tobacco in his shop.
North East Lincolnshire Council’s Trading Standards officers seized the counterfeit stock with a street value of £16,140. If the stock was legitimate, it would be valued at £40,370.
Saman Hamzay appeared before Grimsby Magistrates Court on Friday, August 27, 2021, and was sentenced to a 12-month community order incorporating 100 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £565 costs and a victim surcharge of £90.
Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said: “Each inspection that we carry out disrupts the supply chain. With the support of the public, we can bring an end to this criminal trade. We do this to protect you.
“These inspections are very much intelligence-led, and we will act on information received and enforce where necessary, so please get in touch with the council’s Trading Standards team if you are concerned.”