South Shields shop owner caught with more than 3,700 illegal cigarettes

Noor Abas Miralikhail, 33, walked free from court after magistrates jailed him for 16 weeks but suspended the sentence for 18 months.

But they ordered the confiscation of his £4,197 illegal stash and ordered him to pay £4,313 in costs to borough trading standards chiefs who prosecuted him.

He had 3,760 contraband cigarettes at his Madina Food Store at Laygate, South Shields, when it was searched on July 8, 2023.

Miralikhail, of Marshall Wallis Road, Chichester, South Shields, was also stocking 250g of hand rolling tobacco and 26 illicit chewing tobacco or snuff products.

And his seized mobile phone contained messages to associates negotiating prices.

The raid came two years after he handed over £44,000 of illegal stock to trading standards during a similar operation targeting counterfeit goods.

Sentencing him, magistrates told him the fact he had got himself a second haul of illicit goods so soon afterwards, was an aggravating factor.

Tony Hewitson, chair of the bench, warned: “You will go to prison if you commit this offence again.”

Victoria Molley, prosecuting for South Tyneside Council, said a trading standards employee did a test buy of cigarettes, after a tip off.

That led to the shop being raided in a joint operation with Northumbria Police and Newcastle trading standards on July 8, 2023.

Ms Molloy added: “They seized a quantity of illicit tobacco products.

“A randomly selected number of packets of the cigarettes were identified by the brand holders as being counterfeit items.

“Cigarettes, chewing tobacco and hand rolling tobacco failed to comply with labelling issues.

“The defendant’s mobile telephone was seized. It showed WhatsApp messages to and from a large number of individuals.

“They appeared to show negotiations on the price of illicit tobacco together with ‘price lists’.”

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Miralikhail pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing goods with a false trademark for sale at a hearing at the same court in January.

He also admitted two of producing or supplying a tobacco product not carrying a health warning.

And he admitted one count each of producing or supplying tobacco for oral use, producing or supplying a tobacco product in breach of packaging regulations, and being a trader engaging in unfair commercial practices.

Geoffrey Forrester, defending, said the prosecution case was accepted, adding: “It was an opportunity to make some money, and he should have turned away from it, but he didn’t.

“He has shown remorse, and he understands the gravity of what happened, and he regrets it.

“He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to all matters. He has no previous convictions.”

Magistrates jailed Miralikhail for 16 suspended weeks for each of three offences, to run concurrently, and to six concurrent weeks for each of four offences, with no penalty for one.

Miralikhail must complete 25 rehabilitation days and the Moving On programme, and pay a £154 victim surcharge.

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