Closure order for Middlesbrough shop over illicit tobacco trade

A closure order has been issued against a Middlesbrough shop after huge hauls of illicit” cigarettes and rolling tobacco were seized in a raid.

Middlesbrough Council has successfully managed to secure the closure order of Bucharest Mini Market on Parliament Road after two years worth of incidents linked to counterfeit tobacco. In the latest raid that happened in the premises on Feb 10, illicit cigarettes and rolling tobacco with a retail value of over £3,680 were found by the council’s Trading Standards team and HMRC during a raid.

Illegal cigarettes were also found in 2020, while further complaints about the potential sale were raised later that year. Yet the haul earlier this was found when keys found in the Parliament Road store opened a nearby vehicle – which contained over 7,300 cigarettes.

The order was granted by Teesside Magistrates’ Court despite being told that a businessman had “just purchased” the Middlesbrough business for £5,000 from Dastan Mohammed.

During the court proceeding that happened this week, the court was told how the new owner had objected to the closure as he hadn’t been notified of it. However he failed to attend court.

The council still had concerns over the business, despite the sale, the court heard.

 “The same people appear to be running the shop,. The same employees are there before and after the business transaction has taken place which gives cause for concern….about the sale of illicit tobacco,” local reports quoted the council’s brief as saying.