A Filton shopkeeper must do unpaid work after being found with a huge amount of illegal cigarettes.
Leslaw Szczypta, 41, was caught with the contraband at his U-Lecha store in Filton Avenue on two separate occasions during visits by Trading Standards and HM Revenue & Customs officers.
Szczypta, of Cairns Road, was also found with more than £18,000 in cash.
He admitted nine offences at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on July 24.
Bristol City Council regulatory lawyer Shreena Parmar told the court that during the visits in April and September 2018, Trading Standards seized 1,121 packs of illegal cigarettes and 60 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco.
All of these items failed to comply with UK health warning and packaging requirements and were non-duty paid, 53 of them being counterfeit.
The court also heard Szczypta exposed for sale and sold alcohol without a licence do to so.
He was ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid community work in 12 months, and pay £4,000 in costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
'Little regard' for health
Cabinet member for regulatory services Councillor Steve Pearce said: “Unfortunately, businesses that sell illegal tobacco products have little regard for the impact on their customers’ health.
“These products often contain higher rates of toxic substances and do not have the correct health warnings.
"Low cost tobacco products can often seem very attractive to people for at what seem like bargain prices. However, the truth is these goods have been smuggled and these sales are unlicensed and unregulated.
“This action demonstrates that the selling of counterfeit or smuggled tobacco will not be tolerated in the city and that includes anyone involved in selling them, not just shop owners."
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