An Oldham shopkeeper has been fined after an illegal stash of cigarettes and tobacco was found stashed in the basement of his premises.
After a string of complaints from members of the public that illicit or counterfeit tobacco was being sold at Timisoara, on Ashton Road, Oldham Council has confirmed that officers from Oldham Trading Standards and a trained sniffer dog raided the shop, and a total of 22,557 mixed brand cigarettes were uncovered.
100gm of illegal hand rolling tobacco was also seized from the premises.
The illegal cigarettes and tobacco were found stashed and hidden in a number of locations throughout the shop – including in a concealment behind the counter, in an adapted jacket and a holdall, and in the basement.
The owner of the shop, 39-year-old Sardar Mohammed, pleaded guilty to offences under the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015, as well as an offence under the Trade Marks Act 1994, and was told to pay costs of £3,450 and a £95 victim surcharge.
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He was also sentenced to an 18-month community order that requires him to attend 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement, and 180 hours of unpaid work.
Officers from Oldham Trading Standards and a trained sniffer dog raided Timisoara on Ashton Road / Credit: Google Maps
“Thanks to good work by our Trading Standards staff, and tip offs from residents, a large haul of illegal cigarettes has been seized,” explained Councillor Jean Stretton, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Oldham Council.
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“Illegal tobacco makes it easier for children and young people to buy cigarettes and get hooked on smoking and the people making money out of this do not care who they sell to and the illegal tobacco trade has strong links with organised crime.”
She continued: “We are working with partners across Greater Manchester to drive down the illegal trade and the market is declining – but it still goes on.”
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Oldham Council is asking local residents to keep an eye out, and where they see cheap tobacco being sold, often as ‘duty free’, are encouraged to get in touch and report it either anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or online at keep-it-out.co.uk.
“We will take action if we find illegal tobacco for sale,” the Council insists.
Manchester United fans planning another major protest amid more upheaval around the club
Danny Jones
Manchester United supporters look set to stage another high-profile demonstration in protest against the INEOS Sports ownership group.
This is the latest response to the club’s continuing struggles, and not just the first proper organised mobilisation of the year, but the first since the most recent major march last spring.
Following the sacking of ‘manager’ Ruben Amorim, despite co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and his board of executives insisting that the Portuguese head coach (that distinction proving to be a crucial detail), the local sporting giants are once again starting from scratch and looking for another replacement boss.
With that in mind, militant fan group The 1958 announced their most recent protest ahead of a home fixture next month in a rather bold fashion…
As announced we protest against this dysfunctional co-ownership before Fulham.
Yep, neither Amorim, Erik ten Hag, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, nor any face even remotely associated with Old Trafford/Carrington is safe from an AI parody.
As for The 1958 group’s actual protest plans, speaking via the BBC this week, the supporters’ trust has confirmed that they will be making a vocal statement outside the stadium on Sunday, 1 February.
Travelling Reds already made their thoughts known with a very blunt, provocative and somewhat controversial banner in the away end at Turf Moor for the 2-2 draw against Burnley.
With Man United approaching a third-round FA Cup tie against Brighton and two big games in the form of a Manchester Derby at home and a trip to Arsenal, they have decided to choose the Fulham game at Old Trafford to stage the march.
Despite admitting that the results under Amorim were no way near good enough, they insist that the – most notably the overarching and Glazer family shadow ever looming over the organisation.
Further details around the actual timings and locations are still yet to be shared by the organisers, but you can expect this to be a well-attended, large-scale event.
Often convening at The Tollgate pub near regular matchday tram stop, Trafford Bar, before walking down Talbot Road towards the ground itself, we imagine Reds will then descend upon the Theatre of Dreams in their thousands.
In case you didn’t already surmise from the video itself, Ratcliffe and co. will be no doubt the subject of the usual chants, as well as more banners and flags.
What do you make of the latest plans, Man United fans?
Nothing will ever be quite as bold as the infamous Old Trafford break-in from 2022 (Credit: The Manc)
More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in
Danny Jones
Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.
The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.
Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.
One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.
Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.
Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.
Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.
In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.
Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.
With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.
Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.
For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.
So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.
Emily Sergeant -
27th June 2022 
