Goole shop licence revoked for selling cigarettes illegally

A Goole shop where thousands of contraband cigarettes were found hidden under the stairs with onions to mask their smell has had its licence revoked.

East Riding Council’s Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee voted to revoke the licence of Dobre Bo Polskie, in Boothferry Road, following an application from Humberside Police.

The force said 15,000 cigarettes were found stashed in the shop, some which could have been sold to children.

The decision to revoke the licence from its holder Kamaran Mahmood comes after trading standards officers and a sniffer dog visited the shop at around 10.15am on Monday, March 23.

The shop’s Boothferry Road location lies close to other off-licences, homes, pubs and restaurants.

Force Chief Constable Lee Freeman wrote in a later report that two male shop assistants were behind the counter when officers arrived, including the licence holder.

Thousands of cigarettes, some counterfeit and others smuggled without paying customs duties, were found in a compartment under the shop’s stairs.

The chief constable dubbed the hiding place a sophisticated concealment mechanism which could be closed using an electromagnetic device.

The police’s report stated the hiding place also contained a bag of onions, thought to be put there in an attempt to mask the smell from sniffer dogs.

Many of those stashed were the 20 Richmond Blue brand, the most common counterfeit cigarettes sold locally and nationally according to the force.

Councillors heard the cigarettes could have been sold for £4 a packet, compared to retail price of around £10.15  for a packet of 20 Richmond Blue.

Mr Freeman said the illegal selling of the cigarettes was a clear disregard of licensing objectives which require holders to prevent public order and safety risks.

The chief constable said: “There are also grave concerns towards the protection of children from harm objectives, in that by selling such products they will have no regards to age restrictions for alcohol and cigarettes.

“The cigarettes are duty evaded, therefore they can be sold at pocket money prices to children, illegal tobacco is not a victimless crime- the unscrupulous dealers who sell it will target children, who are attracted by its low price.

“Some of the cigarettes are believed to be counterfeit, therefore there is a greater risk to the public health and fire safety.

“These harmful products will not be tested or regulated for chemicals and could be even more harmful.”

It was not within the council committee’s remit to rule whether a crime had been committed but rather to decide whether the conditions of its licence were broken.

A criminal ruling and penalty could be determined by the courts if Humberside Police chose to pursue the case.