The boss of a former European supermarket in Arbroath has been fined after admitting responsibility for a £4,500 fake tobacco operation.
Noni Antonov’s Euroshop premises was raided by Angus Council’s trading standards team on March 30 last year.
The 21-year-old Bulgarian businessman was living in Leicester but was the leaseholder of the shop on Arbroath’s High Street.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard Antonov’s “entrepreneurial career is on hold”.
He was fined £600.
‘Intelligence’ led to raid
Fiscal depute Jill Drummond told the court: “There were 282 packets of cigarettes and 52 pouches of loose tobacco seized by Trading Standards.
“The accused is the registered person in terms of the tobacco register licence.
“Matters came to light after Trading Standards received intelligence and carried out a raid.
“The accused wasn’t present at the time.”
Ms Drummond said the stash could be worth £4,500.
Antonov was in the dock – aided by a Bulgarian interpreter – to be sentenced, having admitted breaching trademark legislation at a hearing last month.
His illicit haul bore Amber Leaf, Golden Virginia, Richmond and Marlboro packaging without the trademark holder’s permission.
Under shop counter
His solicitor Billy Rennie said: “It’s a little bit of an unusual case.
“He’s a young man who was thinking he could take on a business opportunity.
“He knew people from Leicester who had moved up to Scotland and taken on shop premises in Arbroath.
“He took the lease, he had someone else working in the shop.
“The volume of tobacco was under the shop counter.
“He wasn’t there in the shop supervising, probably as he should have been.
“Someone gave him £4,000 for getting out of the shop.
“He’s no other connections to this area and he’s moved back to Leicester.
“He’s decided his entrepreneurial career is best put on hold.”
Mr Rennie explained Antonov – currently a warehouse worker – arrived in the UK 12 years ago with refugee status and now lives with his wife and parents.
He added the tobacco was was more likely to have drawn in £2,500 if sold illicitly.
Fining Antonov, Sheriff Krista Johnston said: “I take into account that you’re a young man, your personal circumstances and the mitigation offered.
“Your role at the time was as a person who was responsible.
“I can deal with the matter by a financial penalty.”
Latest crackdown
The raid marks another successful prosecution following an Angus Council’s Trading Standards team intervention.
In 2019, the team carried out an operation at the nearby Nickel and Dime store.
Boss Kaleem Ahmed and his business were fined £500 each.
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