A shop faces a licence review after more than 96,700 smuggled and fake cigarettes were discovered hidden in a shipping container.
West Yorkshire Police called for a review of the licence for Moldgreen shop Jimmy’s after a raid in February.
Police and HM Revenue and Customs had received a tip-off that the shop was selling alcohol and fake cigarettes to people aged under 16.
During the raid police found seven packs of ‘President’ cigarettes that had not had the duty paid on them.
But it was when they forced entry to a lock-up visited daily by Shabir Ali, Jimmy’s owner, that they uncovered 96,730 packs of cigarettes and 10.5kg of hand rolling tobacco.
Simon Ellis, of HM Revenue and Customs, said the taxman had lost £37,000 due to duty not paid on the goods.
Council papers for Tuesday’s licensing hearing say that the cigarettes were a mixture of genuine smuggled, ‘cheap whites’ which are manufactured for the illicit market and counterfeit cigarettes.
Mr Ali was arrested after the raid.
Councillors will have to decide if the Ravensknowle Road off-licence should be stripped of its premises licence.
In a statement, PC Leon Stansfield, licensing officer, has asked the licensing panel to “seriously consider revocation” of the shop’s licence due to the “serious nature of the offence”.
Six residents have written letters of support for Mr Ali, one describing him as a “fantastic shop keeper” who is a “trustworthy, down to earth gentleman” and a “pillar of the community”.
Local resident Caroline Burrows-Burke, in a supporting statement, said Mr Ali takes parcels for her when she is at work adding that he had never “given rise to suspicion of any form of wrongdoing” saying she as a regular customer had never been offered “underhand” services or goods.
Wayne Massey said Mr Ali has run a “honest business” since he took over in 2009.
Kirklees councillors will consider the application on Tuesday.
