A SHOPKEEPER who sold tens of thousands of pounds of counterfeit cigarettes, hidden in secret storage compartments throughout his store, has been jailed.

Choman Omar, 32, kept thousands of cigarette packets and tobacco pouches under the floor and behind secure panels at the International Food Market in Newport, a court heard.

The panels were sealed by elctro magnets which were released by buttons behind the shop counter, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Omar, of Commercial Road, Newport, ran the "sophisticated" operation last year, it was said.

Newport trading standards and Gwent Police recovered the cigarettes during coordinated raids to disrupt the illegal sale of counterfeit tobacco in April last year.

But Omar continued to sell the counterfeit tobacco for months on end, the court was told.

Imposing a 12-month custodial sentence, Judge Gaskell told him: "To be frank if you had stopped when these matters came to light as a result of the first police search in April, I would have suspended it but you didn't.

"You knew what you were doing was wrong. You knew it was fraudulent and you persisted in it, you persisted in it to make more money."

The tobacco would have been worth up to £30,000 if sold at the full price, prosecutor Leah Pollard said.

He also failed to pay around £16,000 in duty to the taxman, the court heard yesterday [February 19].

Police found more than 2,000 cigarette packets, 600 tobacco pouches and £3,000 in cash during the first raid on April 30.

But he still sold counterfeit tobacco during a test purchase on June 18, the court heard.

And officers found more tobacco in a black bag in a waste bin and cash concealed in a printer on October 6.

That day, they also recovered 168 cigarette packets and 47 patches, and more than £1,000 in a box concealed by a panel, the court heard.

The court also heard that Omar had accepted the counterfeit cigarettes because of difficulties in his business.

He found it difficult to sell cigarettes lawfully because other shopkeepers in the area were selling cheaper cigarettes, the court was told.

Defence barrister Eugene Egan said that the hidden compartments were already there when he took over the business.

He also stressed that his client had not been in trouble with the law before his arrest last year.

Omar pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Trademarks Act, seven counts under the Consumer Protection Act of and 11 counts under the Fraud Act.

Judge Gaskell gave him 12 months for each offence under the Trademarks Act, 12 months for each offence under the Fraud Act and and four months for each offence under the Consumer Protection Act.

All the offences are to run concurrently.

Judge Gaskell added: "You had your chance and you disregarded it and went on and continued with your offending."

A further 14 offences were also taken into consideration.

An application under the Proceeds of Crime Act is also to be dealt with at a forthcoming court hearing.