"Profiting from crime": Disgraced Fratton businessman forced to pay £53k after peddling fake cigarettes
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A greedy shop owner who peddled vast quantities of fake cigarettes has been ordered to pay tens of thousands of pounds.
Ali Kader Ismil, owner of Fratton Food Store in Fratton Road, is forced to hand over £53,480.49 after selling illegal tobacco products. A Proceeds of Crime Act Confiscation Order has been levelled against him, and if it isn’t paid in three months, he’ll face jail time.
The disgraced businessman was convicted at Portsmouth Crown Court in April 2024 of 14 counts of possession and supply of fake branded cigarettes, smuggled non-UK cigarettes and unregulated black-market cigarettes known as 'cheap whites'. He was also convicted of money laundering.
An investigation followed to look at the financial gain from the illegal activities, resulting in the new confiscation order. It is in addition to a 15 month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and 150 hours of unpaid work, given to him at a court hearing in June 2025.
Fellow owner of the store, Mr Salar Karim Karam had previously been given a confiscation order of £27,260.20, taking the total confiscation for the store owners to more than £80,000. Mr Karam, and fellow staff member Eakub Ali, were previously given 12 month community orders, alongside 100 hours of unpaid work -Ali also being ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
Trading standards officers seized more than 45,000 counterfeit cigarettes from the store. Portsmouth City Council chief executive Natalie Brahma-Pearl said: “We are very pleased this conviction order will prevent this offender profiting from their crime and hopefully it will keep Portsmouth residents a little safer by acting as a deterrent to any other businesses. Honest shopkeepers' trade is harmed by illegal sales of tobacco.
“The Council is on their side so we will do all we can to prevent and detect dishonest trading. We are committed to investigating businesses and individuals who break the law and bringing them to justice. Those selling counterfeit items and tobacco products will be caught and risk severe penalties."
The black market for fake and smuggled tobacco is considered a profitable revenue stream for organised crime groups, and has been linked to other drug and people trafficking offences. Tests on counterfeit cigarettes have found dangerous levels of harmful substances including heavy metals and other noxious carcinogens.
If you know or suspect businesses in Portsmouth that are supplying illicit tobacco, you can report it at [email protected]. More information at www.portsmouth.gov.uk/trading-standards.