Lincolnshire Trading Standards have secured a conviction against Mr Daria Shorsh Namek for the possession and supply of counterfeit, unsafe and incorrectly labelled tobacco products.
Mr Namek's store, International Food 4 You (also known as 'International Foods') at 18 Portland Street in Lincoln was inspected by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police on 29 November 2018 and 5 February 2019.
During those visits officers found a total of 49,940 illicit cigarettes and 4.35kg hand rolling tobacco, which were all seized.
In attempts to distance himself from the products and avoid being caught, Daria Namek hid from officers in a toilet and claimed to be a new employee, despite running the business.
The illegal products were also stored off-site to try and further distance the shop and Mr Namek from the crime.
Twenty-eight year old Namek, formerly of Newark Road, was convicted at Lincoln Magistrates Court on Thursday 21 January 2021. He was handed a six-month suspended sentence, ordered to pay a contribution to costs of £1,000, as well as a £450 fine and a victim surcharge of £115.
Daniel Brown, Principal Trading Standards Officer involved in the investigation, said: "I hope this recent prosecution reinforces how dedicated Lincolnshire Trading Standards is to tackling the sale of illicit tobacco.
"This kind of criminality serves to undermine legislation that is there is protect consumers and support local retailers that trade within the law particularly during this current economic climate.
"Selling illicit tobacco is not simply a tax evasion matter; these products are often counterfeit, made in unhygienic conditions and fund further criminality within organised crime gangs. In this case tobacco products were being stored on and around a working toilet.
"The sentence passed by the court demonstrates how seriously criminal offences of this nature are taken and that offenders may well be punished by custodial sentences."
If you have any information regarding the sale of illegal cigarettes in Lincolnshire, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.