Shopkeeper sentenced for selling illegal goods

08/11/2024

Azad Ekram Ahmad, aged 31 of Broadway, Cardiff was sentenced at Newport Crown Court on 17th October. Ahmad pleaded guilty to four offences and was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, as well as being ordered to complete 200 hours unpaid work, undertake a 5-day rehabilitation activity, pay a victim surcharge of £187 and costs to Caerphilly County Borough Council of £750.

During the time of the offences Ahmad was proprietor of Ystrad Mini Market, Ystrad Mynach. In January 2023 the Trading Standards team at Caerphilly Council made a test purchase of cigarettes from the store, having received intelligence that the premises were being used to sell counterfeit cigarettes. The cigarettes purchased on this occasion were counterfeit.

A few days later Trading Standards raided the premises, accompanied by a tobacco detection dog, where they found concealed behind the counter 8500 counterfeit cigarettes and just over 2kg of counterfeit hand rolling tobacco.

During the search officers seized 54 illegal disposable vapes, which did not comply with safety Regulations as they contained more than the allowed 2ml of nicotine and were incorrectly labelled.

Officers also seized 35 bottles of foreign labelled Fanta soft drinks, which were not allowed to be sold in the UK as they were not labelled in English, denying customers information on their contents, which could be vital for those with food allergies.

Cllr Philippa Leonard, Cabinet Member with responsibility for public protection at Caerphilly Council, said “Illegal smoking products and drinks pose serious risks to consumers’ health. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of our Trading Standards team in tackling the sale of such items. We hope that the sentence sends a strong message and deterrent to other fraudulent traders.”

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