A CONVENIENCE store has been fined almost £20,000 after a sniffer dog discovered illegal cigarettes and tobacco in a hidden hole behind the counter.

Council officials and police found hundreds of cartons of cigarettes and pouches of rolling tobacco during a raid on January 22 last year at Euro Market Bolton shop, in Chorley Old Road, Halliwell.

Some were stored in a bag near the rear exit and the remainder were in a secret cubbyhole next to the till.

The discovery – the second time black market goods have been uncovered at the store – led to the firm being prosecuted by Bolton Council at Bolton Magistrates Court yesterday.

Nicola Raby, prosecuting, said, by the rear exit, enforcement officers discovered a large bag containing foreign cigarette packets.

They included the brands Marlboro Gold, Mayfair, L&M, P3ct Blue, Queen, P3ct Red, Lifa, Sopianal, Viceroy, Minsk Blue, NZ Black, Queen Menthol, Minsk Red Slim and Minsk Blue Superslims, none of which carried the statutory health warnings in English.

The court heard two people were working in the shop at the time of the raid, an employee called Anna Parkot and a man named Hassan Kabkai who signed documents for the seized goods saying he was the director and owner.

But it transpired that although he had once been a director he was not at that time and the real director was a man called Ako Ali.

Mr Kabkai wrongly claimed there were no more suspect products on site.

Ms Raby said: “A sniffer dog made a clear indication behind the counter and a compartment was found concealed in the wall.”

A total of 312 packets of cigarettes and 36 pouches of hand rolling tobacco, which didn’t carry the health warnings required, were seized, as well as eight counterfeit versions of 50g pouches of Amber Leaf, six 50g pouches of Golden Virginia and 36 packets of Mayfair cigarettes.

In the absence of any of its directors the magistrates convicted the business of 20 offences of possessing for supply goods prohibited by safety regulations and three of possessing goods for sale with a false trade mark.

They fined Euro Market Bolton £4,000 for each trademark offence and £3,000 for two of the safety regulations offences, as well ordering payment of a £170 victim surcharge and £1,441 court costs. The illegal products were forfeited and destroyed.

The court heard the company was convicted and fined in June 2015 for similar offences.

An application by the company to voluntarily strike itself off the companies register was opposed by the council.