A SHOP owner and an employee have been ordered to do a total of 420 hours of unpaid work after a raid in January uncovered 31,000 illegal cigarettes.

The sentences, which included court costs of nearly £1,000 for both, came just a day after magistrates passed a three-month closure order on the same premises – Europe Quality Food in Brookend Street, Ross-on-Wye – following a raid on April 23 which allegedly uncovered 37,900 illegal cigarettes and 14.5kg of unlawful tobacco.

Kosar Othman Mohammed, aged 39, of Cranemoor Close, Birmingham, and Karwan Kamil Salh, aged 19, of Livingstone Road, Handsworth, pleaded guilty to charges of sale and possession for sale of illegal and counterfeit tobacco relating to the 31,000 cigarettes.

Hereford magistrates heard on Wednesday, May 8, that Herefordshire Council’s Trading Standards and West Mercia Police carried out a targeted operation at the premises on Saturday, January 5.

The bootleg tobacco haul contained illegal foreign non UK-duty and counterfeit cigarettes, the court was told.

The court handed down community penalties to Mohammed and Salh of 240 and 180 hours unpaid work respectively, with £983 each in costs.

Just a day earlier, business was stubbed out for three months at the store after trading standards investigators and police seized 37,900 alleged illegal cigarettes last month, with the ban set to operate until August 6.

Police also say the building’s owner is now trying to evict the tenants.

The April 23 seized goods were allegedly worth £18,838 in unpaid duty, including many counterfeit brands, said a Herefordshire Council spokesperson.

After the search using sniffer dogs, the council spokesperson said: “Following a history of persistent criminality at the premises, West Mercia Police immediately served a closure notice.”

The court approved a request by Supt Sue Thomas on Tuesday, May 7, for the three-month closure order.

Insp James Ashton of Herefordshire Rural Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: “The owner of the property has been very supportive of the police and will now take steps to evict his tenant.

“This is just the latest of a series of successful Multi Agency Targeted Enforcement Strategy (MATES) operations and shows the benefits of working with partner agencies to tackle issues that impact and harm our communities.”

The council spokesperson said after the April 23 raid: “On the shop premises a bag was found with 134 packets of illegal cigarettes and 36 pouches of illegal hand rolling tobacco.

“In the car park opposite the shop, an associated vehicle contained 1,761 packets of illegal cigarettes and 254 pouches of illegal hand rolling tobacco.

“All the tobacco products seized were non UK duty paid and a large proportion were counterfeit. The duty evasion from this seizure came to the value of £18,838.”

“The sale of illegal tobacco from such retail premises seriously damages honest local business.”