Shopkeeper Khurrum Makhdoom prosecuted for selling illegal tobacco

Khurrum Makhdoom, a shopkeeper who illegally sold tobacco at Zoom Supermarket, Manley Road, Oldham, has been  fined a total of £588 and ordered to pay costs of £1,650. The court also said the seized items should be destroyed.

The local authority used statutory powers to enter Zoom Supermarket on 22 February 2017 after receiving a tip off from Greater Manchester Police about the tobacco products being sold on the premises.

Officers found illegal cigarettes and tobacco not intended for the UK market.

Around 1,436 packets of cigarettes and more than 600 grams of hand rolling tobacco were seized – amounting to a predicted street value of around £300.

Makhdoom, aged 33, of Goring Avenue, Manchester was found guilty at Tameside Magistrates on 30 November of six offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 and Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 in relation to illegal tobacco.

Councillor Fida Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, said: "People involved in selling illegal tobacco do so without a care for the effects their actions have on other individuals or society as a whole.

"We would never promote smoking as it’s unhealthy, but we have a duty to ensure that the tobacco people smoke is genuine and as safe as it can be. Our trading standards officers will continue to disrupt and seize goods to curtail this illegal activity.

“This prosecution shows that we will take action against those who sell illegal tobacco and think they can get away with it.”

Information regarding the sale of illegal tobacco products in Oldham should be reported via: Citizens Advice at www.citizensadvice.org.uk 0345 404 0506 or via Keep It Out at www.keep-it-out.co.uk