Man jailed for a second time after selling illicit cigarettes from residential Boston property

A man has been jailed for six months after being found guilty of possessing and selling illicit cigarettes from a residential property in Boston for a second time in three years.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Remigijus Dinkevicius was sentenced to six months imprisonment with £3,000 costs and £115 victim surcharge.

Dinkevicius, 48, from Haven Meadow, in Boston, was found guilty alongside his partner Laima Satkeviciene at Boston Magistrates Court.

Satkeviciene, 37, also from Haven Meadow, in Boston, was sentenced to four months, suspended for 12 months and given 200 hours unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation days and also ordered to pay £3,000 costs and £115 victim surcharge.

Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Senior Trading Standards Officer Joanne Hocking said: “The sentences given to both defendants are a good reflection of the seriousness of the offences and a positive result.

“Tobacco products sold in the UK should now be in plain packaging and carry general health and pictorial warnings on them. Counterfeit or illicit brands do not tend to comply with these regulations.

“Illegal cigarettes can be extremely dangerous, with many not complying to product safety standards and will continue to burn when they are left unattended.”

The couple’s sentencing follows a raid by Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Mr Dinkevicius was charged with two counts of possession of criminal property, one count of general product safety regulations and eight counts of possessing tobacco products which omitted statutory health warnings.

He served a previous custodial sentence in 2015 following a seizure from the same property of 40,000 cigarettes.

Trading Standards received further reports cigarettes were being sold from the property.

On executing the search warrant, with the assistance of Lincolnshire Police and a tobacco detection dog from Wagtails UK, 20,280 cigarettes and 9.975KG of tobacco was seized from the property.

Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

Principal Trading Standards officer Andy Wright added: “Dinkevicius traded illicit tobacco from the residential property in Haven Meadow.

“His sole source of income was derived from the sale of illegal tobacco products.

“Satkeviciene was an active participant in the crime.

“These are not minor crimes and the penalties handed down by the Court demonstrate this.

Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.
Some of the products seized by Trading Standards and Lincolnshire Police.

“We are currently working closely with Lincolnshire Police in order to produce a co-ordinated approach to combat similar crimes in Lincolnshire, if members of the public feel they have information that may be able to assist please do not hesitate to contact us.”