Wigan borough shopkeeper admits having hundreds of packets of counterfeit cigarettes

Diyar Mohammedi, of Shop and Go, on Railway Road, Leigh, has pleaded guilty to having 350 packets of cigarettes masquerading as popular brand Richmond, 680 packs claiming to be Lambert and Butler Silver, 40 packs of Amber Leaf tobacco and 390 packs of Sovereign cigarettes.

He also admitted selling hundreds of packets of cigarettes which did not feature the health warnings required by law, in that the warnings were in another language and the external packaging was not the correct colour.

The business itself indicated guilty pleas to the same six charges, which were brought under the Trademark Act and the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016.The bench at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates’ Court adjourned the hearing so a pre-sentence report could be prepared.

Mohammedi, 30, will return to court to find out his punishment on December 16.