Shop closed for an extra three months over tobacco

A STORE with suspected involvement in illegal tobacco sales has been hit with a three-month extension on its closure.

HM Revenue & Customs swooped in on Bucharest Mini Market, located on Parliament Road, back in February as part of a multi-agency crackdown.

The raid led to the discovery and seizure of 7,620 illicit cigarettes and 250g of hand-rolling tobacco, and Teesside magistrates ordered the closure of the premises in April to prevent crime and disorder.

The council successfully secured the order after a number of incidents linked to counterfeit tobacco over the course of two years.

A three-month extension to the closure has now been granted after evidence from Trading Standards showed that proposed alternative proprietors for the shop also had established links to the sale of illicit tobacco.

The investigation and enforcement work by Trading Standards and HMRC is part of a national trading standards initiative code-named Operation Cece, which is playing a significant role in disrupting the illicit trade and helping to take illegal tobacco off the streets.

The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law.

Regarding the extension of the order on Monday, July 11, head of public protection at Middlesbrough Council Judith Hedgley said: “Extending the closure order on this retail premises shows that the Courts take the sale of illicit tobacco very seriously.

“Our trading standards team will continue to take action where concerns about illicit tobacco are raised and when our investigations identify those responsible for selling illegal tobacco products.

“Landlords who are implicated in the sale of illicit products or who are complicit in this trade, such as receiving income from criminal activities, could themselves be liable to enforcement action, including their assets seized under proceeds of crime laws.”