A PUDSEY man, who sold illicit shisha tobacco and disguised his stash as incense, yogurt and sports goods, has been sentenced.
Mehdi Jahani, 35, of Daleside Road, Pudsey, ran a shisha business called Rose Supply UK and was caught with 629kg of non-duty paid flavoured tobacco by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigators.
Officers raided Jahani’s home and a storage unit in Kirkstall Road and uncovered the contraband hidden in containers labelled as yogurt, sports goods and incense.
He admitted buying 700kg of illegally imported shisha tobacco worth £65,233 in duty and tax and admitted to excise fraud at Leeds Crown Court on January 8. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at the same court on February 16.
Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, said: “Criminals like Jahani create an uneven playing field for legitimate businesses.”
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