Tobacco Baron Busted

Source from:  sundaymail.co.uk Feb 17 2008 By David Taylor 02/18/2008

Exclusive We Expose Rogue Trader Fuelling £30m Illegal Tobacco Trade A newsagent is at the centre of an illegal trade in tobacco costing Scots shopkeepers £30million a year. Habid Raji sells packets of Golden Virginia rolling tobacco under the counter for £6 - half the normal retail price. Retailers claim a boom in black market tobacco has hit sales of authentic cigarettes. Sunday Mail investigators bought two 50g pouches from Raji's Super News shop in Govanhill, Glasgow, for £12 - the price of one genuine Golden Virginia pouch. Raji, who keeps the dodgy baccy in a back room, warned our team: "Put them in your pocket before you leave the shop." The packets had warnings in Dutch, French and German. Neither was marked with a UK duty stamp. It is estimated UK shopkeepers lose £3.5billion a year through the illegal tobacco trade - around £20,000 each. Tobacco Alliance campaign co-ordinator Katherine Graham said Scots retailers were among the worst affected. She said: "Illegally smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit tobacco are threatening the livelihoods of small newsagents." A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "Anyone selling goods whether counterfeit or they have not paid duty is committing an offence and we will investigate." Enditem