The owner of a shop in Barking that was found with more than 3,000 illegal cigarettes has been ordered to pay a fine.

Barking and Dagenham Council officers raided Miorita in Ripple Road, where trading standards officers and a trained sniffer dog found 3,160 illegal cigarettes on the premises, the council said.

The illicit cigarettes do not follow UK regulations.

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Following prior investigations by officers, it was discovered that they were being sold to the public.

The owner of the shop, director Marian Coseru, was taken to court on Tuesday, April 18. 

He pleaded guilty to supplying illicit cigarettes.

The judge at Barkingside Magistrates Court ordered Coseru to pay a fine of £1,000, costs to Barking and Dagenham Council of £500 and a victim surcharge of £150.

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Cllr Syed Ghani, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety said: "Residents' safety is our top priority.

"If these illegal cigarettes don’t follow UK regulations, this means they may not advertise the correct warnings on packaging, could include harmful ingredients and money raised used for organised crime."