Following a lengthy investigation, Bolton Council Trading Standards has secured a Closure Order against a shop selling illegal tobacco and cigarettes.
Ranya Market, on Market Street in Farnworth, has been ordered to shut for three months.
The order was granted at Bolton Magistrates Court on Friday 14 June against owner Sarbast Hussein under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014.
It means the premises will now remain closed until 14 September 2024.
From May 2023 to May 2024, trading standards carried out a total of seven raids at the premises, the first being Operation AVRO, a day of action which saw the police and the council work together to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour, and trading standards offences.
In total, counterfeit and non-compliant tobacco and cigarettes with a street value of around £16,000 were recovered during the raids.
The illegal goods were found cleverly hidden in walls and shelving with false panelling acting as a sliding door. Counterfeit tobacco was also found hidden in a microwave.
Garry Parker, Bolton Council’s Assistant Director of Environment and Regulatory Services, said:
"As part of our commitment to tackling the sale of illegal tobacco and cigarettes, we very much welcome this Closure Order.
“Closure Orders are notoriously difficult to obtain and require extensive investigative work and evidence gathering which the team have worked tirelessly to obtain.
“We hope this will send out a very strong message that the sale of illegal tobacco and cigarettes pose a danger to public health and will not be tolerated.
“Thank you to the wider community for their support in reporting these incidents and we hope this action offers some reassurance to people that will take action to keep these illegal products off our streets.”
If you have any information specifically relating to the sale of suspected illegal goods in Bolton, please call 0808 223 1133 or email trading.standards@bolton.gov.uk.