AN application for an Oldham shop – where more than 22,000 illegal cigarettes were found last year – to be given a premises licence has been met with strong opposition.
Sardar Ahmad Mohammed has applied for a premises licence at continental grocery shop Timisoara on Ashton Road to allow alcohol to be sold there.
But Oldham Council's Trading Standards department and Greater Manchester Police are calling for the application to be turned down.
Representing Trading Standards, Antony Perkins listed a number of cases the local authority has dealt with relating to Mr Mohammed and Timisoara.
After complaints were made, Trading Standards searched Timisoara in September 2020 and found a "substantial quantity of counterfeit and illicit tobacco", with 22,557 cigarettes seized.
Timisoara on Ashton Road in Oldham (Picture: Google Maps)
Illegal cigarettes that were found at Timisoara on Ashton Road in Oldham in September 2020
They were discovered "within the shop’s cellar, a holdall behind the counter as well as also being concealed behind the counter within two jackets which had sleeves that had been especially modified for this purpose".
A total of 99 packets of prescription only and foreign labelled medicines containing antibiotics and painkillers, which are not allowed to be sold in the UK, were also found.
During interviews under caution in November 2020, Mr Mohammed admitted that the cigarettes were his and he had purchased them to sell, Trading Standards reported.
On another occasion in July 2017, he was interviewed after "561,892 illegal illicit cigarettes 19.75kg of illicit hand rolling tobacco" were discovered in a lock-up storage unit he was renting.
Antibiotic and painkiller medicines of types similar to those recovered from Timisoara were also found at the storage unit.
PC Julian Addison, of GMP, added: "The applicant has been involved in sales of counterfeit and illicit tobacco whereby Trading Standards have seized a large quantity while in Mohammed's possession twice.
"Mohammed has received a warning from Trading Standards once and has since carried on selling illicit tobacco.
"With this information, I feel that Mohammed will continue to be reckless and given the opportunity he will commit further crime by selling illicit tobacco illegally by ignoring trading standards advice.
"Having regard to the above it is likely, in my opinion, that the applicant will have disregard for the licensing objectives in relation to the sale of alcohol and the regulatory regime that supports it and further offences may be committed.
"Given the crimes Mohammed has been involved in and to prevent any further crime, the police support the concerns raised by Trading Standards and recommend this application be refused."
The application will be discussed by the council's licensing panel next week.
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