A West London off-licence has been allowed to keep its licence despite officers discovering thousands of illicit cigarettes and illegal tobacco during a raid.
Council officers and the Metropolitan Police carried out an inspection at Sethi Food and Wine on Featherstone Road in Southall on March 10. During the operation, sniffer dogs indicated that hidden items were stored in a rear stock room.
Officers subsequently discovered 3,420 illicit cigarettes and 1.13kg of Indian tobacco concealed inside a cardboard box and a black bag. The unpaid duty on the products was estimated at around £1,400.
When contacted by officers, shop owner Mr Ganesh Kuma reportedly said: “I thought I could sell them,” but did not explain why the products had been hidden. Speaking at a licensing hearing on June 24, he later claimed the items were concealed because they were not intended for sale.
Mr. Kuma told councillors he had purchased the tobacco products from a salesman who visited the shop and believed he was allowed to sell them.
During the same inspection, officers also found cases of beer being stored directly on the shop floor, breaching licence conditions that require alcohol to be kept on suitable shelving or racking.
The review was launched on the grounds that the business had failed to promote the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder. Enforcement officers argued that the sale of illicit tobacco damages legitimate businesses and can help fund organised crime.
A Licensing Compliance and Enforcement Officer recommended that the premises licence be revoked, stating that the owner’s lack of understanding of licensing requirements gave officers “no confidence” that the licensing objectives were being upheld.
However, the Licensing Sub-Committee decided against revocation, noting that this was the first time the business had faced enforcement action.
Delivering the decision, Councillor Anthony Kelly said: “However, the panel are satisfied that the premises has no past experience of previous non-compliance and note the premises licence holder has understood concerns raised by the licensing review for the illicit products.”
Instead of removing the licence, councillors imposed a number of additional conditions, including weekly compliance checks, stricter stock and invoice record-keeping requirements, and a requirement that products are sourced only from legitimate suppliers.
The new measures are intended to ensure the business complies with licensing laws and prevents similar breaches in the future.
