Counterfeit cigarettes concealed in toilet

A Cardiff man has admitted possessing thousands of counterfeit cigarettes to sell after they were discovered being concealed behind a wooden panel in a toilet.

Abdulla Mohammed Abdulla was taken to court after Trading Standards officers from Shared Regulatory Services found 3,600 counterfeit Richmond, Chesterfields, Mayfair and Ashima cigarettes when they searched a property in City Road, Roath, Cardiff.

At Cardiff Magistrates' Court, Mr Abdulla, 33, from Adamsdown, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 for possessing for supply counterfeit cigarettes.

He also admitted two offences under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 for possessing for use in the course of a business cigarettes which did not carry the required warnings.

The court was told he had signed a simple caution for similar offences in 2015.

In mitigation, Mr Abdulla's solicitor told the court his client accepted he had the cigarettes at the property when Trading Standards officers searched the premises in August 2016.

He accepted he was selling them through his business and that they should have been branded correctly.

The court was told that he no longer has the business and lives alone. His solicitor told the court his client was unemployed and having to live off his savings.

The court probation officer confirmed after speaking to Mr Abdulla that he has several health problems including a spinal injury, depression, asthma and migraines.

He told her he was currently working in a grocery store and so long as no heavy lifting was involved, he would be able to carry out unpaid work.

The magistrates ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, pay costs of £350 and a victim surcharge of £85.

A Forfeiture Order was granted for the cigarettes that were seized.

Following the case, a spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: "The law is there for a reason and that is to protect customers.

"This prosecution should serve as a warning to everyone - that trying to sell counterfeit cigarettes will not be tolerated. We will continue to press for prosecutions to get that message across."