Man jailed over illegal cigarettes and tobacco

Addison was found with cigarettes depicting Marlon Brando in The Godfather

A man has been jailed for 20 months after repeatedly being found with illegal cigarettes and tobacco.

Michael Addison was a market trader in Kidlington, where he was caught in 2022, 2023 and 2024, Oxfordshire County Council said.

The 66-year-old, of Portland Place in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court of five offences relating to fake goods as well as breaching a suspended sentence and a restraining order.

In September, Addison was ordered to pay £400,000 from the proceeds of crime within six months or face four years in jail.

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, in charge of community safety in Oxfordshire, said: "It is deeply disappointing to see a repeat offender continuing to flout the law and put our communities at risk.

"Illegal tobacco is not only dangerous to health, but it also undermines legitimate businesses and fuels further criminal activity."

The charges against Addison included possessing goods with a fake trademark.

He was also convicted of four counts in total of producing or supplying tobacco in breach of packaging regulations and without a health warning.

In September 2023, he was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, for similar offences.