UK man sentenced for counterfeit tobacco offences

A man from Derby in the UK has been convicted of selling counterfeit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco at his store in Swansea, South Wales.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Yarech Mahmud Kader (46) was making around £300 (around $400) a day selling fake brands including Richmond, Lambert & Butler, Marlboro, Benson & Hedges, Superking, Winston, Rothmans and Amber Leaf before test purchases during an investigation revealed the illicit activity.

Council enforcement officers subsequently raided the store and discovered a cache of counterfeit tobacco products concealed on the premises. Kader pleaded guilty to the offences, but after failing to appear at the court on multiple occasions he was eventually sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended.

The court was told he had numerous earlier convictions involving unlawful tobacco, including a 2015 case in Gloucestershire which resulted in a £19,000 fine.