A retailer and its director have been successfully prosecuted by Barnet Trading Standards after a series of raids uncovered 17,740 illegal cigarettes up for sale to the public.
Officers carried out a series of inspections at Mama Food Store in Golders Green between 2023 and 2025, seizing 887 packets of cigarettes. The confiscated cigarettes are thought to have been worth £14,626.63 on the black market. They cut through a safe with an angle grinder during one visit after business owner Kataryzna Jablonska refused to hand over the key, finding illegal cigarettes inside it (pictured).
The products did not meet UK legal requirements for packaging and health warnings and were being supplied despite previous enforcement action and warnings from Trading Standards.
Jablonska appeared before Willesden Magistrates Court on Thursday 15 October. The court heard that the offending continued over a prolonged period, with tobacco products being deliberately concealed within the business premises and a vehicle linked to the operator.
Following a guilty plea, both the company and its director were ordered to pay fines, costs and surcharges totalling almost £9,500. The court also ordered the destruction of all seized tobacco products.
Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of Barnet Council and Cabinet Member for Strategic Partnerships, Economy and Effective Council, said: “Illegal tobacco undermines public health measures, creates unfair competition for legitimate retailers and exposes consumers to products that do not meet legal standards. This case reflects our ongoing efforts to tackle the sale of illicit tobacco and take action against businesses that continue to break the law.