Wigan man faces fake tobacco and illegal e-cigarette charges
A Wigan 29-year-old is facing a dozen charges over the sale of allegedly phoney tobacco, and e-cigarettes with too much nicotine in them.
Zuhair Rasheed, 29, of New Street in Platt Bridge, appeared before borough justices accused of multiple breaches of trade mark, trading standards and tobacco products regulations at The International Store on Market Street, Chorley, between September 5 last year and January 24 this year.
He is accused of being in the "supply of smuggled, counterfeit and improperly labelled tobacco products, and non-compliant disposable electronic cigarettes."
There are three counts of supplying electronic cigarettes where the volume of nicotine-containing liquid exceeded 2ml in each, and thus in breach of theTobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.
Charges also allege that he was selling tobacco which did not conform to modern day plain packaging rules and had fake livery on the front suggesting they were Amber Leaf, Lambert and Butler, and Richmond products when they weren't.
Rasheed was released on unconditional bail until he next appears at Preston Magistrates' Court, on September 11 when pleas may be entered.
An interpreter has also been requested for the hearing.