Halifax man jailed for fraud
A HALIFAX man has been jailed for storing and selling illegal tobacco products worth more than £760,000 in unpaid taxes.
Solyman Bakteyarpoor, 40, of Raglan Court, Halifax, managed a shop called Zabka Stores where HM Revenue and Customs officers discovered illegal tobacco products hidden in a purpose-built concealment behind a fridge.
They also found notebooks detailing sales of nearly two million cigarettes.
Officers visited the shop on King Cross Road in October 2017 and found 5,660 illicit cigarettes and 2.2 kilos of handrolling tobacco hidden behind a drinks fridge.
The cigarettes and tobacco were seized by officers as duty had not been paid on the goods.
HMRC officers returned to the premises three months later and found more illegal tobacco hidden inside the shop counter and in a bin in the back yard.
Bakteyarpoor was present at the time but fled the scene.
Officers then searched his home and found another 27,680 counterfeit cigarettes and 14.8 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco.
Bakteyarpoor was arrested by HMRC officers when he returned to the shop later that day.
Officers found a knuckleduster, large sums of cash and notebooks, which recorded sales of 1,896,120 cigarettes and 505.9 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco dating back to May 2017, in a bag belonging to Bakteyarpoor.
Further seizures of cigarettes and tobacco were made at the shop by Trading Standards in July and August 2018.
In total he evaded paying £761,550, in duty and VAT.
Timothy Atkins, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Bakteyarpoor profited by selling illegal tobacco goods, undermining legitimate traders and pocketing money which should be used to fund our vital public services. He thought he could get away with it, but now he is paying the price with a prison sentence.
Bakteyarpoor admitted excise and VAT fraud at Leeds Crown Court on November 11 2019. He was sentenced to 41 months in prison at the same court on January 23 2020.
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