(Image: T&A)
Over 240 contraband cigarettes found at a shop were for the personal use of a member of staff – a licensing panel were told.
On Monday, members of Bradford Council’s Licensing Panel were given details of a recent raid at Booze Master on Leeds Road in Shipley that took place on August 12.
What was found in the raid?
The raid, by HMRC and West Yorkshire Police, uncovered 334 litres of mixed beer and spirits, 246 mixed-brand cigarettes and 0.2kg of hand rolling tobacco that were “illicit and non-duty paid.”
Investigations into the business are ongoing.
At Monday’s meeting, the store’s Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) Salam Mohammed Shaly told members the store had not avoided paying duty, it was just a case of the store not keeping a receipt for 334 litres of alcohol they purchased from a seller visiting the store.
The panel were meeting to decide whether to approve an application to transfer the business’ current licence to a company called Booze House Ltd.
Mr Shaly is the sole director of that company.
Police object
West Yorkshire Police had objected to the transfer, saying Mr Shaly was DPS at the time of the raid.
They argued that a company run by him would not be suitable to hold the new licence.
At the meeting it was suggested the transfer could be a way of frustrating any future licence review of the business.
PC Kevin Lord told the panel that Mr Shaly has previous convictions for offences of fraudulent evasion of prohibition or restriction and fraudulent evasion of duty.
The offences were committed on June 3, 2019.
On February 3, 2022, at Bradford Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and received a suspended custodial sentence along with unpaid work.
PC Lord said: “The HMRC investigation into the shop is still ongoing.
“Mr Shaly wasn’t present at the raid, but he is the designated premises supervisor responsible for the day-to-day operation of the premises.
“Interestingly on August 26, just a few days after the raid, he became director of a newly incorporated company – Booze House Ltd.
“A few weeks later there was an application to transfer the premises licence to the company.
“It could all be a coincidence.”
'I was abroad' when raid happened
Addressing the panel, Mr Shaly said: “What happened in August – I wasn’t there, I was abroad.
“The tobacco seized belonged to an employee, it was for personal use.”
Disputing the claim that the alcohol was illicit, non-duty paid booze, he said: “We bought it from people who come to the shop to sell it.
“Some companies come to us to sell drinks, Monster, Red Bull, Coca Cola, Strongbow.
“But we didn’t keep the receipt. It was a mistake that we didn’t keep it.”
He said the reason for the change of licence holder was because “the old director doesn’t want to work there any more.”
Mr Shaly said: “He wanted to close the company, that’s why we created a new company.”
'I’ve never done anything wrong'
Councillor Ian Evans (Reform UK, Queensbury) questioned the lack of alcohol receipt, saying: “Could you not just contact the company you bought the alcohol off?”
Mr Shaly replied: “We don’t know where they are based.”
He told the panel: “For the last seven years, I’ve been working at different shops.
"I’ve done work perfectly, I’ve never done anything wrong. For my whole life I’ve been working and paying tax.”
Transfer is refused
Summing up, PC Lord said: “We believe Mr Shaly will still be involved in the business.
“He is possibly thinking a licence review might be coming up, and that a new licence holder might make that review more difficult.
“Transferring the licence would put the control of the business in the hands of Mr Shaly, who has previous convictions.”
The panel refused to transfer the licence.