A High Wycombe business owner has been ordered to pay nearly £15,000 for selling illegal cigarettes.
Bulent Kuran, director of MCK Supermarkets Ltd, which operates Bassey Food Store on Desborough Road, admitted to nine offences related to the sale of illegal cigarettes.
The case dates back to 2019, when Trading Standards purchased cigarettes from the shop on three occasions between December 2019 and June 2022.
Each time, the cashier was observed putting the money into the cash register and using a headset to request a colleague to bring the cigarettes into the shop.
During the June 2022 purchase, an officer saw a female employee leave the shop, approach a van parked at the rear, and remove something in a black bin liner.
The purchaser was then handed the cigarettes in a black bin liner by the employee in the shop.
Two announced visits by Trading Standards officers were also made during December 2019 and June 2022.
Nothing was found in the first visit, but during the second visit, a tobacco detection dog discovered a stash of 1,185 packets in the van.
The cigarette packets were incorrectly labelled and not in the correct packaging, as required by UK law.
Samples of the cigarettes were examined by representatives from tobacco companies, and it was discovered that most of the cigarettes were legitimate products intended for sale in foreign markets.
Only two packets were counterfeit.
The director of the company, the manager of the shop, the registered keeper of the vehicle, and a named driver of the vehicle were all interviewed by Trading Standards, but all denied any involvement in the sale of the cigarettes or any knowledge of their existence.
In court, Mr Kuran expressed deep regret for the sales and accepted full responsibility.
Since then, staff have regular training to ensure that they are fully aware of the legal restrictions imposed on the sale of certain products, and there have been no further issues noted.
Mark Winn, Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, said: "This sort of illegal activity won’t be tolerated in Buckinghamshire.
"Let this be a cautionary lesson to anyone tempted to try anything similar, you will not get away with it."
The company was fined £10,310, with a mandatory victims’ surcharge and full prosecution costs of £3,951, making a total of £14,442.
The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the 1,185 packets of cigarettes seized from the van.
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