​Sniffer dog seeks out nearly 5kg of illegal tobacco at shop

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A diligent dog helped Manchester City Council Trading Standards seize a haul of illegal tobacco. In December 2019 officers attended Superstore, in Stockport Road, Manchester, to carry out a routine inspection, assisted by a tobacco detection dog, Mollie.

During the search Mollie sniffed out a huge haul of illegal tobacco hidden in a rear storeroom of the shop, as well as on a hidden shelf, with a total of 13,050 cigarettes and 4.5kg of rolling tobacco being seized. READ MORE: Couple found dead inside family home in Birmingham The director of the company Djemal Dulovi, 53, of Chapel Street, Levenshulme, was invited to an interview by Trading Standards but other than confirming his role within the business he did not cooperate with any further questions relating to the alleged offences.

At a hearing held at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 27, 2022, January, Dulovi appeared charged with four offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994, one charge under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, and one charge under the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015.

Both Dulovi and the company pleaded guilty to all offences and he was sentenced to a 12-month community order requiring him to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay costs of £329, and a victim surcharge of £95.