A Gateshead shop has been closed for three months following repeated complaints about anti-social behaviour and illegal cigarettes.
Istanbul Stores on Coatsworth Road has been the subject of numerous complaints from members of the public and nearby shopkeepers.
Gateshead Council officers issued a 24-hour closure notice on the shop on March 26 and changed the locks on the shop.
Now, a three-month closure order has been slapped on the premises at Newcastle Magistrates' Court.
Issued under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, the notices gives police and councils powers to issue closure notices if they are satisfied that premises’ use has resulted in nuisance to the public or public disorder.
Anneliese Hutchinson, service director for development, transport and public protection at the authority, said: “Istanbul Stores and its links with criminality has been a cause of concern to us for some time.
“We have received numerous complaints from the public and other shopkeepers about their sale of illegal tobacco, and the increase in anti-social behaviour around these premises has been noticeable.
“The sale of illegal tobacco is not a victim-free crime.
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"It is well known that the illegal tobacco trade is linked to organised crime, and that many of the people smuggling, distributing and selling it are involved in activities such as drug dealing, money laundering, and people trafficking."
The sale of illicit tobacco from Istanbul Stores first came to light in 2017 after a quantity was seized from the shop.
The leaseholder Soran Karim subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing illegal tobacco.
In January this year, Istanbul Stores was visited as part of Operation Sentinel which involved Northumbria Police and officers from Gateshead Council’s trading standards, environmental health and enforcement teams.
The raid resulted in the seizure of thousands of illicit cigarettes which had been hidden in a car belonging to the owner Dilshad Ahmad. In addition, a male was arrested for being in possession of a knife.
The following month, trading standards and Northumbria Police visited the premises again with a tobacco sniffing dog.
A male ran from the shop having come from the staff area, and although he was not caught, he was seen dumping a large bag of illicit tobacco which was recovered and seized.
The sniffer dog then indicated on a car parked in a nearby street which was accessed and again thousands of illicit cigarettes were seized.
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Further complaints and intelligence were received and during a visit to the shop in March a holdall of illicit tobacco was discovered in the staff area of the shop, and a warrant was executed on a car parked in a nearby street which had been identified as being used by males in the shop.
Thousands more illicit cigarettes were seized.
A survey carried out with local residents and retailers revealed that most thought the premises was a nuisance, and that littering in the immediate area had increased.
Police crime figures showed an increase in crime of 46% within 100m of the shop over the last 12 months, and an increase in anti-social behaviour of 39%.
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