A shopkeeper from Stroud has pleaded guilty to supplying illegal tobacco products to Gloucestershire residents.
Following an investigation by Gloucestershire County Council's Trading Standards service, Amratlal Fatania, 60, of World Foods in Russell Street, Stroud was charged with supplying and being found in possession of illegal tobacco.
The court heard that 'Dodgers' branded illegal cigarettes were sold to Trading Standards officers doing test purchases on 7th and 8th February this year.
The shop was inspected using a warrant on 13th February, when officers found and seized illegal cigarettes and pouches of hand-rolled tobacco hidden around the premises, including in a paper towel dispenser.
The latest purchases and seizures were the result of new intelligence regarding the continued sale of illegal tobacco at the shop.
It follows a court case against Fatania in July last year, which resulted in a 12-week sentence suspended for 18 months and 120 hours of unpaid work.
The defendant pleaded guilty to all the charges and is now starting an 18-week prison sentence.
Eddie Coventry, head of Trading Standards, said: "The penalty reflects the fact that Mr Fatania did not learn from the previous advice and action by this service. The judgment also shows that the courts regard this as a serious matter and it sends out an important message to traders who engage in this activity that they face serious penalties. Selling illegal tobacco products puts people's health at risk and harms legitimate traders. The practice will not be tolerated."
Andrea Dickens, spokeswoman for Smokefree South West, said: "Illegal tobacco is not a victimless crime as criminals would like us to believe. Not least, as there have been no taxes or duty paid, cigarettes and pouches of tobacco are offered to our children at pocket money prices making it all too cheap and easy for them to smoke and become addicted."
