Harehills shop has had its license withdrawn after cigarettes were found in the stash

A shop’s license has been withdrawn after illegal tobacco products were found in a purpose-built hideout.

The goods were seized by police and trading standards officers from K&B stores in Harehills during an inspection in January, a licensing hearing was told.

Leeds City Council’s licensing sub-committee heard that the shop at 31C Harehills Road was visited for the first time on January 19.
On that occasion, trading standards officers were sold a pack of unpaid cigarettes for just £3.50.

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They then carried out an inspection with West Yorkshire Police on January 24 when a stash of goods was found in a door frame. The hearing on Tuesday (May 7) was told that 117 packs of cigarettes and ten bags of rolling tobacco were discovered.

A report of the meeting said that 119 oversized ships were also found at the site. PC Neil Haywood told the hearing: “This was a professionally constructed cover-up. It’s pretty clever what they were doing.”

A statement from Babul Hussain, senior officer of cheap and illicit tobacco, said the disposable e-cigarettes found at the shop appeared to contain more liquid than the legal limit.

His report said: “From the discrepancies in the packaging of some cigarettes and the external excise stamps of others, it was clear to me that the cigarettes were a mixture of counterfeit and contraband.”

The hearing was told of health concerns linked to the sale of illicit goods in Harehills, but there was no specific evidence that the shop was selling to children.

The committee voted unanimously to revoke the store’s license. K&B Stores was not represented at the hearing.

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