Leeds convenience store owners caught with thousands of packets of fake cigarettes and a bag of £33,000 in cash
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A court heard Ali Mohamad and Aram Mohammedie continued to sell counterfeit products from their shop in Leeds despite repeated warnings from authorities.
A judge said the two men "flagrantly disregarded" the law by carrying out trading standards offences at the Mama Mia store on Harehills Lane.
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Hide AdLeeds Crown Court was told how the offending came to light on June 24, 2020.
A police community support officer on patrol in the area became suspicious after seeing a shop assistant hide something under the counter as he was serving a customer.
The officer spoke to the assistant and then asked for the owner to be contacted,
Mohammedie spoke to the officer but denied anything illegal was being sold at the shop.
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Hide AdThe officer then noticed a bag of illegal tobacco products hanging behind the counter.
The shop was searched by West Yorkshire Police and 2,757 illegal packets of cigarettes and 496 pouches of hand rolling tobacco were recovered.
Angus McDonald, prosecuting, said some of the products contained false Regal, Richmond, Benson & Hedges and Amber Leaf trade marks.
All of the products either failed to display a health warning or contained a health warning in a foreign language.
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