Coventry man jailed over fake cigarettes worth £63,000

A Coventry man has been jailed for transporting illegal cigarettes between London and Coventry.

Sardar Sattar was found at the wheel of a van that contained 18,000 packets of illegal cigarettes with a black market value of approximately £63,000.

Trading Standards was tipped off about the van being driven from the capital up to Coventry on January 9 and officers liaised with West Midlands Police to stop the vehicle when it entered the city.

Sattar was arrested, interviewed and a search of his house found another 950 packets of illicit cigarettes, with a black market value of around £4,275.

The 39-year-old, of Anglian Way, Stoke, was charged with six offences relating to supplying illicit tobacco that breached trademarks, were not in standardised packaging and did not have the appropriate health warnings - all of which he admitted.

He was jailed at Warwick Crown Court for 10 months.

In sentencing, Judge Anthony Potter highlighted that Sattar was a trusted distributor of illicit cigarettes who was able to store them, and said it was a professional operation.

Cllr Christine Thomas, chairman of the city council's licensing and regulatory committee, said: “This case shows how organised the distribution of illicit tobacco has become with cigarettes being picked up from London, then stored and distributed to various shops in Coventry.

“It is through being able to react quickly with the support of our partners that this offender was caught and prosecuted.

“I hope the sentence acts as a deterrent to others involved in the supply of illicit tobacco.”

To report the selling of illegal tobacco, please call Trading Standards on 03454 04 05 06 or email trading.standards@coventry.gov.uk.

Visit our Facebook pages for Coventry and Nuneaton or visit our Twitter pages for Coventry and Nuneaton

Watch our videos on YouTube and see our photos on Instagram

Find old stories in our online Archives and search for jobs, motors and property, or place an advert or family notice here