Royal Greenwich: Vodka smuggler get £3,000 fine

by WO Admin | Greenwich

An off-licence owner from Plumstead was caught selling bottles of vodka that had been smuggled into the country without any excise duty being paid.

Tipen Siwa from the DJ off-licence in Brewery Road was fined a total of £3,000, and ordered to pay costs of £1,830 and a victim surcharge of £120. He pleaded guilty to all the charges brought by the Royal Borough of Greenwich when he appeared before magistrates at Bexley.

The court heard that two trading standards officers had visited the off-licence to give advice on how to avoid selling alcohol to underage youths. They discovered 37 bottles of Smirnoff on sale that had counterfeit labels on them and a further 82 bottles in a store room.

Siwa said that his wife had bought the alcohol and he had not been aware whether or not the duty had been paid. The court also ordered that the illegal goods that had been seized should be forfeited.

Cllr Jackie Smith, the Royal Borough’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Environment, said: “Selling alcohol illegally is a serious matter. It risks the health of our residents where industrial alcohol could be present and disadvantages other business in the borough. We will not hesitate to prosecute where we find the law is being broken.”

Anyone who knows or suspects that premises are selling alcohol or tobacco illegally can report it to Greenwich Trading Standards on 020 8921 8223 or email: tradingstandards@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.