Ali Riza Tula, 26, the owner of Maxi Wine Centre on Hertford Road, Enfield Lock, was fined £7,200 for selling counterfeit cigarettes and illegal alcohol. On October 28, 2019, Enfield Trading Standards conducted a raid on the shop, using sniffer dogs to discover a stash of 4,420 fake cigarettes.
The cigarettes were found to be without proper health warnings and had labels not written in English. Tula was accused of evading excise duty and VAT on cigarettes valued at approximately £1,629. Additionally, he was found selling super-strength alcohol, which violated the terms of his shop’s licence.
At Highbury Magistrates Court on July 5, 2022, Tula pleaded guilty to three charges, including breaches of the Licensing Act and the Tobacco & Related Products Regulations 2016.
Cllr Susan Erbil, Enfield Council’s Licensing lead, commented: “Our dedicated Licensing & Trading Standards team identified illegal tobacco that was swiftly removed from the market. I urge residents to report any suspicions of illegal tobacco and cigarette sales.”
She added, “We will keep cracking down on tobacco crime to keep Enfield safer for everyone.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
