A judge has ordered two brothers from Gedling to pay back around £60,000 raised through the sale of counterfeit cigarettes.
Peter Dye, 59 from Beaumaris Drive, Gedling, was ordered at Nottingham Crown Court today (Thursday, July 21) to pay around £50,000 for his part in a large counterfeit cigarette sales operation.
He was sentenced to 12 months and his brother Paul Dye, 53, received a two-year sentence last October for their illegal sales.
The money has been ordered by the court using powers under Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) and has to be paid within three months – if unpaid Peter Dye faces an18-month prison sentence.
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Paul Dye was ordered to pay £11,000 for his part in the operation in December 2015.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards team has led on the case and seized vast amounts of counterfeit and illicit cigarettes and tobacco from the brothers’ houses and shops in raids in April 2014 and January 2015.
The money that the brothers owe is based on the value of the products seized and the cash believed to be linked to their illegal sales. A portion of this money will return to the Council to be spent on their Trading Standards work protecting local consumers.
Councillor Glynn Gilfoyle, Chair of Nottinghamshire County Council’s Community Safety Committee, said: “It’s important that criminals who profit from the sale of illegal products do not benefit from their ill-gotten gains and this is one of the best pieces of legislation to be introduced in the last decade.
“The sale of counterfeit cigarettes conflicts with the Government’s pricing policy that is designed to encourage people to give up smoking, a habit which seriously damages health and reduces life expectancies.
“I hope this case sends a strong message to potential counterfeit cigarette sellers that they not only face a prison sentence if they get caught – we’ll continue to use this law to hit them where it hurts by clawing back their illegal earnings.”
If you suspect a shop or individual selling illegal tobacco contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
