St Leonards shop-keeper convicted of selling fake cigarettes
A shop owner has been convicted of selling foreign or counterfeit cigarettes from a St Leonards grocery store, costing the tax man over £12,500.
Abdul Rahman Komar, 22, of Norman Road, St Leonards, was last week jailed for three-months suspended for two years, ordered to do 150 hours community service and ordered to pay 150 costs at Lewes Crown Court.
In November last year revenue and customs officers inspected Komar's shop, Farzana Food Market, on London Road, where they found 56,360 cigarettes -more than 2,800 packets- and 12kgs of hand rolling tobacco, that were either foreign or counterfeit and did not bear a UK tax paid stamp.
The goods were seized, and Komar initially appealed against the seizure, but was charged under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 and pleaded guilty at his first court hearing.
Dave Gostelow, HM Revenue and Customs senior officer said: "This is an excellent result for all honest traders.
"We will not hesitate to take action against those dealing in smuggled goods and evading duty. The sentence should serve as a deterrent to others.
"Selling smuggled tobacco products is not a harmless tax fiddle, it cheats the government of revenue, which can be used to fund vital public services in the Sussex area, and jeopardises the trading of law-abiding tobacconists."
Anyone with information about smuggled cigarettes is asked to contact the Customs Confidential Hotline on 0800 59 5000.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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