Willesden shop slapped with nearly £5,000 fine after illegal tobacco seizure

A fine of nearly £5,000 has been handed to a shop in Willesden, in north-west London.

Shaam Sharief Limited, trading as Nour Damascus, and its director Mohamad Rafat Kunbus pleaded guilty at Willesden magistrates after over 800 packs of illegal cigarettes, tobacco, and shisha products seized from the shop.

The magistrates highlighted the persistent reluctance of the defendant to engage with the local authority. They fined both the company and director £1000 each and they were ordered to pay costs of £1856, and a victim surcharge of £800, a total of £4656.

“Tobacco products that do not follow national standards are even worse for your health because there is no way of knowing what has been put in them and nor do they contain the legal warnings to deter smokers,” Cllr Harbi Farah, cabinet member for safer communities and public protection at Brent Council, said.

“So I would like to thank our trading standards team for their work in seizing the illegal products and bringing this business to justice.”