Tobacco raid store could lose licence
A Polish supermarket could lose its licence next week after being found with illegally imported tobacco and cigarettes during three separate raids.
The premises licence for the Magdalenka store in Shropshire Street in Market Drayton will come under scrutiny at a Shropshire Council licensing meeting on October 21 after counterfeit goods were found in the shop during three visits from public protection officers.
Last week, Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that shopkeeper Elina Pole hid the counterfeit goods in a hollowed-out wall behind a toilet mirror, under the shop counter and in crates of lager.
Pole, 28, of Cheshire Street in the town, admitted charges relating to seizures of counterfeit, illegal and non-duty-paid cigarettes and tobacco.
She was given a four-month jail term suspended for 12 months and was ordered to do 200 hours' unpaid community work, pay £1,500 costs and £80 victim surcharge.
She was also handed a two-month curfew, which means wearing an electronic tag.
A report to be put before the licensing sub-committee says that along with the illegal possession charges, there were claims that cigarettes may have been illegally sold to a child.
It said: "West Mercia Police received a complaint that her 15-year-old son had been able to purchase tobacco from the premises".
On making its decision, the committee has the choice to issue formal warnings, modify conditions to the licence, remove the designated supervisor, suspend the licence for up to three months or revoke the licence altogether.
The first raid was carried out on March 6, before another on June 11 and the third on July 29.
During these visits public protection officers worked alongside officers from the Market Drayton Police Safer Neighbourhood Team and a tobacco detection dog helped find the illegal goods in the building.
The items were hidden in a variety of locations, including a hollowed-out wall behind a mirror in a toilet, concealed within crates of lager, in a water butt and in a small cavity cut out from the bottom of the shop counter.
Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council's Cabinet member responsible for public protection said after Pole's sentencing: "This is another excellent example of the work undertaken by the public protection investigations team, working in partnership with West Mercia Police.
"This prosecution should send a strong message to those involved in this illegal trade that this will not be tolerated in Shropshire.
"Those involved in dealing in illegal tobacco may be encouraging people, including children, to smoke by providing a cheap source.
" As well as the obvious health concerns that this raises, a lot of legitimate businesses in Shropshire are losing customers to the illegal trade in tobacco."
The hearing will take place on October 21 from 10am.
