A man who warehoused counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes for someone else had initially fled the country ahead of one of his court hearings.
Mohammed Anwar, 43, agreed to house more than 19,000 packets of illicit tobacco and cigarettes at the site of his dairy business – worth around £200,000.
In March 2022, ahead of these proceedings, he fled to Pakistan and did not return as required, saying his mother was very ill.
This charge was put to him at Burnley Crown Court on Wednesday (June 26) and he pleaded guilty.
When Anwar returned to the UK in April of this year, he saw the letter about a warrant being issued and immediately contacted the police.
Nicola Hoskins, mitigating, said this was “not a deliberate attempt to evade justice.”
She added Anwar had been “struggling financially” at the time, hence why he agreed to store the products.
Ms Hoskins added: “He wants the court to know how deeply he regrets this. He knows he’s let his family down.”
Francesca Persaud, prosecuting, said the counterfeit goods were sold at two shops in East Lancashire – Sklep Euro in Accrington, and Europa in Nelson.
The products, which were sold under branded packaging but were not made by the trademark holder, were not sold in plain packaging, which is usually used to make them unattractive to children.
Previous cases against the store owners heard that the counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes would be stored on the tops of shelves or in plastic bags by the door or behind the checkout, and were sometimes sold for as little as £4.
Anwar, of Manchester Road, Nelson, admitted the offences.
Judge Sara Dodd, sentencing, said: “In October 2017 a search of your business premises revealed more than 19,000 packs of illicit tobacco and cigarettes, with a value of around £200,000.
“You were interviewed in February 2018 and made no comment. You pleaded guilty shortly before trial.
“You were holding the items for someone else but you were trusted to do so and had an understanding of the scale of the operation.
“You were, in fact, warehousing them.”
Anwar was given a 21-month prison sentence suspended for 21 months and handed 240 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay costs of £4,074.
Nick McNamara, principal officer at Lancashire County Council Trading Standards, said, "This haul is easily the largest single quantity of illicit tobacco products Lancashire Trading Standards has ever recovered.
"Today's hearing marks the end of a seven-year long effort to bring the offenders to book."
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