A SHOP owner who stashed thousands of illegal cigarettes in hollowed out doors has been spared jail.

Omar Qambari, who owns the Easy Shop on Victoria Road, appeared at Darlington Magistrates Court yesterday. (Monday, March 7)

He pleaded guilty to trade mark and consumer health offences after specialist search dogs led Trading Standards staff straight to 'sophisticated concealed storage locations' in hollowed out doors and behind hidden panels.

A total of 6,615 individual cigarettes and 60 packs of hand rolling tobacco were found and seized in a joint operation between Darlington Police and the council’s Trading Standards Team in July last year.

Easy Shop was raided after members of the public contacted Trading Standards about the sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco.

Qambari was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months and he was handed a one month curfew from 11pm to 7am.

The defendant was also ordered to pay costs of £1807.41 to Darlington Borough Council and a victim surcharge of £80 to the court.

A spokesperson for Darlington Borough Council said the raid should act as a warning to others not to sell counterfeit cigarettes.

“Trading Standards carried out the raids after receiving intelligence about the sale of counterfeit and illicit tobacco from these premises.

“Whilst all tobacco products are harmful to health, with illicit and counterfeit tobacco products you simply do not know what you are getting. These raids will serve as a warning to other people not to sell counterfeit and illicit tobacco – you will be caught and stopped.”

Anyone with information about counterfeit or illicit goods is asked to contact CrimeStoppers on 0800-555111.