OWNERS of a Kidlington shop sold smuggled cigarettes to undercover council officers twice in just three months.

The current owner and the former owner of Wisla Supermarket in The Parade, Kidlington admitted possessing illegal and smuggled tobacco.

It was not the first time Soran Salih, the former owner, and Efan Gharib, who is now in charge there, have been prosecuted by the county council’s trading standards department.

Oxford Mail:

Smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit vodka were found by officers in Salih’s former premises at Mini Market in Cowley Road, Oxford in 2014.

Salih, of Hazel Crescent in Kidlington, sold a smuggled packet of Marlboro Touch cigarettes to an undercover officer working for trading standards at Wilsa Supermarket when he took a visit there on December 17, 2017.

The officer then returned to the shop on February 25 this year and that time bought a smuggled packet of Marlboro Gold cigarettes from Salih, 33.

After that, the shop was raided by the county council’s trading standards officers, helped by a dog team and a police officer.

They recovered 165 packets of smuggled cigarettes which were being kept around the tills and on top of a fridge.

Oxford Mail:

Richard Webb, head of community protection Oxfordshire County Council

Between last December and this February, the business had been sold by Salih to his former employee Gharib, of Foley Road, Birmingham.

Gharib, 35, was charged for the offence as well because under law, he commits an offence if he allows the product to be sold.

The pair were prosecuted by Oxfordshire trading standards after they sold cigarettes to an underage test purchaser in 2017.

That sale also took place in Wisla Supermarket.

Richard Webb, the county council’s head of community protection services, said: “These convictions show that, as a community, we will act to stop the supply of illegal tobacco, protect the health of Oxfordshire residents and ensure that taxpayers do not have to pick up the bill for criminal behaviour.”

Anyone who has information regarding the illegal sale of tobacco is asked to contact the county council on its hotline on 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at www.stop-illegal-tobacco.co.uk

A spokesman for the county council said that an alcohol licence review would be sought as a result of the criminal convictions.

The result may be that the store is stripped of its power to sell alcohol.

Anyone who has information regarding the illegal sale of tobacco is asked to contact the county council on its hotline on 0300 999 6 999 or report it anonymously online at stop-illegal-tobacco. co.uk.