Illegal shisha cafe bosses hit with £380,000 bill

The cafe was operating for years without council permission

Three people who ran an illegal shisa cafe for years despite repeated warnings to shut it down have been ordered to pay more than £380,000 by a court.

The Antalya cafe on the 'Curry Mile' in Rusholme, Manchester, had been operating without permission since 2018.

It was rented out to Javed and Mary Karimi by Bashdar Mohammed Abdullah.

The three - who carried on despite enforcement notices and pipes and tobacco being seized - were ordered by Manchester Crown Court to hand over £300,000 of illegally generated income.

Officers seized pipes and tobacco during visits to shut the cafe down

Abdullah, an Iraqi resident, rented out the building, which was owned by his firm Tate Bashdar Limited.

He pleaded guilty to planning offences and was ordered to pay back £176,000 of his ill-gotten gains.

The sole company director was also ordered to pay a fine of £66,000 and court costs of £8,000, while his Manchester-registered firm was fined £10,000.

Javed and Mary Karimi, who operated the cafe as sub-tenants, were fined £5,000 and £1,800 respectively, and were ordered to pay £115,000 via a confiscation order after pleading guilty to ignoring enforcement notices.

'Too long'

The building had been changed without planning consent and began operating without permission as a shisa bar, restaurant and a takeaway.

An enforcement notice was served in 2018.

But this, along with two visits by officers who seized pipes and tobacco, was ignored, and the rules were still being broken four years later, the court heard.

The cafe has since shut down but residents on Wilmslow Road had to deal with the impact of the illegal operation for years, the court heard.

Manchester City councillor Gavin White said the operators "turned a blind eye to the law", adding that running an illegal shisha cafe was "not a victimless crime".

Customers were put at risk, and residents had to "put up" with the operation for "far too long", he added.

The confiscation orders should show "we will not tolerate businesses who have no regard for the law", Mr White said.