Trio sentenced for supplying fake cigarettes and money laundering at Fratton Food Store

In total, 75,020 'illicit cigarettes' with a value of more than £40,000, and £8,575 was seized from Fratton Food Store in Fratton Road over four raids and three test purchases, carried out by trading standards from March 2019 to November 2021.

Salar Karam and Eakub Ali pleaded guilty, with shop manager and later the shop owner Ali Ismil was found guilty after a trial at Portsmouth Crown Court earlier this year of 14 counts of possession and supply of fake branded cigarettes and money laundering.

During the sentencing hearing at the court last month, the judge stated that Salar Karam and Ali Ismil were the leading roles in a joint enterprise with Eakub Ali being a subordinate party.

Mr Ismil was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work. Mr Karam and Mr Ali were sentenced to community orders of 12 months and 100 hours of unpaid work. Mr Ali was also ordered to pay £1,000 costs. Proceedings are underway for Portsmouth City Council to seek to recover the criminal money obtained by both Ismil and Karam.

Counterfeit cigarettes are unregulated and often contain dangerous levels of harmful substances including heaving metals and other noxious carcinogens, more than the legal products, which have strict controls during manufacture. The black market in fake and smuggled tobacco is an extremely profitable revenue stream for organised crime groups and has been linked to other serious trafficking offences such as drugs and people.

Portsmouth City Council Leader, Cllr Steve Pitt said: "Our trading standards team will continue to use all of the tools available to stop the supply of illegal tobacco products being sold in our community. This should serve as a stark warning that we will take the same action against any business found selling counterfeit items and tobacco products."

The council's trading standards team help to protect residents from unscrupulous traders and ensure that businesses comply with the law. The team works with trained tobacco detection dogs to sniff out illegal tobacco at premises across the city, often based on information provided by members of the public or other businesses.

If you know or suspect businesses in Portsmouth are supplying illicit tobacco, you can report it at [email protected]. For more information search trading standards at portsmouth.gov.uk

Portsmouth City Council's wellbeing service provides free support to help Portsmouth residents to stop smoking.

Visit www.wellbeingportsmouth.co.uk or call 023 9229 4001 to find out more.