A shop owner has been handed a suspended jail sentence after illicit cigarettes and tobacco worth around £2,500 were found at his newsagents in High Wycombe.

Officers from Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards found 218 illegal packs of 20 cigarettes and 19 illegal 50 gram pouches of tobacco with various brand names illegally stamped on, at N&N Newsagent, in Desborough Road, run by Chandrasegaram Mughaya.

Mughaya, of Lane End Road, High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to seven charges relating to possessing cigarettes and tobacco bearing the unauthorised use of trade marks with a view to selling them, supplying them without the required government health warnings and in packs the colour of which failed to conform to regulations.

The charges related to offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994, Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, and the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015.

He was given an eight-week jail sentence, reduced from 12 weeks for his early guilty pleas, and suspended for a year.

He was also ordered to pay £1,500 prosecution costs and a £150 victim surcharge.

High Wycombe magistrates told him the sentence sent a “clear message” that “behaviour of this kind would be dealt with to the full extent allowed by the courts”.

Noel Brown, Bucks County Council’s cabinet member for community engagement and public health, said: “We can't stress enough the risks to the public of illegal tobacco, which analysis has shown can sometimes contain dangerous ingredients.

“Not only this, it undermines reputable local businesses and we’ll take firm action whenever we can against those involved.”

The full wording of the seven charges:

Offence One of Seven

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, on the 1st December 2017 at 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2QR, with a view to gain for yourself or with intent to cause loss to Lambert & Butler and without the consent of the proprietor, did have in your possession, custody or control in the course of business, goods namely 3 packs of 20 cigarettes, which bore a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for a registered trademark, namely L&B, owned by Imperial Tobacco Ltd, such possession, custody or control being with a view to selling, offering or exposing for sale the said goods. Contrary to sections 92(1) of the TRADE MARK ACT 1994

Offence Two of Seven:

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, on the 1st December 2017 at 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2QR, with a view to gain for yourself or with intent to cause loss to Golden Virginia and without the consent of the proprietor, did have in your possession, custody or control in the course of business, goods namely 10 times 50g pouches of tobacco, which bore a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for a registered trademark, namely Golden Virginia, owned by Imperial Tobacco Ltd, such possession, custody or control being with a view to selling, offering or exposing for sale the said goods. Contrary to sections 92(1) of the TRADE MARK ACT 1994.

Offence Three of Seven

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, on the 1st December 2017 at 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2QR, with a view to gain for yourself or with intent to cause loss to Amber Leaf and without the consent of the proprietor, did have in your possession, custody or control in the course of business, goods namely 9 times 50g pouches of tobacco, which bore a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for a registered trademark, namely Amber Leaf, owned by JT International Group, such possession, custody or control being with a view to selling, offering or exposing for sale the said goods. Contrary to sections 92(1) of the TRADE MARK ACT 1994.

Offence Four of Seven:

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, on the 1st December 2017 at 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 2QR, with a view to gain for yourself or with intent to cause loss to Marlboro and without the consent of the proprietor, did have in your possession, custody or control in the course of business, goods namely ten packs of twenty cigarettes, which bore a sign identical to, or likely to be mistaken for a registered trademark, namely Marlboro, owned by Philip Morris International, such possession, custody or control being with a view to selling, offering or exposing for sale the said goods. Contrary to sections 92(1) of the TRADE MARK ACT 1994.

Offence Five of Seven:

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, did supply tobacco products, namely, 10 times 50g pouches of Golden Virginia, 9 times 50g pouches of Amber Leaf, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Gold, 37 packs of 20 cigarettes of Septwolves, 4 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Silver, 3 packs of 20 cigarettes of Lambert & Butler, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of Eights, 10 packs of 20 cigarettes of Marlboro Gold and 150 packs of 20 cigarettes of John Player Gold Leaf, for smoking, the container packs of which did not carry the combined health warning as required by regulation 5 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. Contrary to regulations 5, 48(a)(i) and 51 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

Offence Six of Seven:

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, did supply tobacco products, namely, 10 times 50g pouches of Golden Virginia, 9 times 50g pouches of Amber Leaf, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Gold, 37 packs of 20 cigarettes of Septwolves, 4 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Silver, 3 packs of 20 cigarettes of Lambert & Butler, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of Eights, 10 packs of 20 cigarettes of Marlboro Gold and 150 packs of 20 cigarettes of John Player Gold Leaf, for smoking, the container packs of which did not carry the health warnings as required by regulation 7 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. Contrary to regulations 7(1), 48(a)(i) and 51 of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.

Offence Seven of Seven:

Chandrasegaram MUGHAYA, did supply tobacco products, namely, 10 times 50g pouches of Golden Virginia, 9 times 50g pouches of Amber Leaf, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Gold, 37 packs of 20 cigarettes of Septwolves, 4 packs of 20 cigarettes of B&H Silver, 3 packs of 20 cigarettes of Lambert & Butler, 7 packs of 20 cigarettes of Eights, 10 packs of 20 cigarettes of Marlboro Gold and 150 packs of 20 cigarettes of John Player Gold Leaf, the container packs of which were not coloured Pantone 448 C as required by regulation 3 of the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015. Contrary to regulations 3(2) and 15 of the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015 and section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972.