A COMPANY has been fined more than £4,000 after they were found to be selling “unsafe” counterfeit cigarettes which were discovered by a sniffer dog.

Ausrine Kremenskiene and APK Baltic Trade Ltd admitted a number of offences of supplying counterfeit, incorrectly marked and unsafe cigarettes and tobacco from their shop at 380 London Road, Westcliff.

The business was raided by officers from Southend Trading Standards on March 22.

In total, 3,300 cigarettes and 200g of hand rolling tobacco were seized. Southend Magistrates’ Court imposed fines totalling £4,089 and costs of £1,639.

The goods were also forfeited for destruction.

Testing revealed the quantity of the cigarettes were unsafe, as they failed to have a reduced “ignition propensity”. This is a safety feature in all genuine cigarettes to prevent the occurrence of house fires, if a cigarette is left alight.

The business had constructed elaborate concealed storage for the cigarettes and tobacco to avoid detection, building a compartment built into a false wall. However, the officers had a highly trained “sniffer” dog who quickly found the stash.

The case comes just weeks after Tevfik Yuksel and Baranarda Ltd were fined a total of £4,446 for similar offences.

Tony Cox, councillor responsible for transport, waste and regulatory services, said: “We can count this as another victory for our trading standards officers, who are working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of our residents.

“The illegal tobacco industry is extremely dangerous, with those involved sometimes adding nasty ingredients to the tobacco. The truth is, you never know what might be inside a counterfeit cigarette.”

Mr Cox added: “The cheap prices that these tobacco products are sold for entice smokers that are unwilling or unable to pay the going price of legal cigarettes, and all too often this includes children.

“We know there is still work to be done but this prosecution sends a clear message that our trading standards officers will take a firm stance against anyone involved in this illegal trade. In this case, it has cost a small business nearly £6,000. They took a gamble, lost and paid a heavy price.”