ONE of the bosses behind a £1 million counterfeit tobacco operation in Carmarthenshire has been ordered to repay tens of thousands of pounds and sell his BMW.

Shoresh Mhmood, aged 35, must pay £86,927 within three months or face 10 months in prison. His co-defendant, 48-year-old Aran Baker, has been ordered to pay £630.

The case at Swansea Crown Court followed an investigation by Carmarthenshire County Council, triggered by test purchases of illicit cigarettes at the Groszek shop on Cowell Street, Llanelli.

Prosecutor Lee Reynolds described the premises as “a very busy and successful cash-based shop primarily operating to sell illicit tobacco”.

When council officers searched Mhmood’s home, they uncovered 9,500 counterfeit cigarettes, 170 pouches of tobacco, and £32,699 cash in a safe. A subsequent raid at Baker’s property revealed a further 89,000 counterfeit cigarettes.

Handwritten records found during the investigation indicated the shop earned between £615 on quiet days and £2,225 on busier days purely from illicit tobacco sales. Over 817 days, these takings approached £1 million.

Previously, Shoresh Salih Mhmood, of Dillwyn Street, Llanelli, received a prison sentence of 42 months, while Aran Baker, of Penciliogi, Llanelli, was sentenced to 51 months for fraudulent business activities.

In the latest Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, investigators determined both men had each benefited by around £125,000. However, available assets totalled £86,927 for Mhmood, including cash, bank funds, and a BMW car, which will now be auctioned. Baker’s available assets totalled only £630, held in a bank account.

Confiscation orders were issued accordingly, with custody terms set if the amounts remain unpaid—10 months for Mhmood and seven days for Baker.

A MILFORD HAVEN teenager has been sentenced to a six-month referral order after admitting a hate-motivated assault at Whitland Railway Station.

The 15-year-old admitted beating another youth on 4 October 2024 and damaging his T-shirt during the same incident.

Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard the attack was aggravated by the fact the victim is transgender.

A victim statement was read aloud in court.

Magistrates imposed a six-month referral order, an uplift from three months due to the aggravating factors.

The defendant was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation for the assault and £120 for the damage, alongside prosecution costs of £85 and a £26 surcharge.

His father must attend Youth Offender Panel meetings as part of the order.

A restraining order was issued prohibiting him from contacting the victim or referring to him directly or indirectly online until December.

A HAVERFORDWEST man is due to appear in court on Tuesday (June 17) charged with a series of serious offences involving extreme pornography and indecent images of children.

DEAN PELLINGTON, aged 31, of Back Lane, is facing four charges at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, where he is listed for a first hearing at 2:00pm.

Pellington is accused of possessing 48 extreme pornographic images between January 19 and May 30, 2024.

The images are said to portray, in a highly explicit and realistic manner, a person performing oral sex with a live horse. Prosecutors allege the material was “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character,” and that a reasonable person would believe both the person and the animal depicted were real.

The charge is brought under sections 63 and 67 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

In addition, Pellington faces three separate counts of making indecent images of children, all said to have occurred between September 16, 2023, and May 30, 2024, also in Haverfordwest. These include:

• Three images classified as Category C
• Three images classified as Category B
• Two images classified as Category A — the most serious category

These charges fall under the Protection of Children Act 1978. Each carries a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine if dealt with in the magistrates’ court.

The Herald will be present at the hearing and will report further once proceedings are underway.